The 12 Elements of AshMas, Volume 8
by Pete the Rock
Summary: The 8th Volume of Ash's harem as a parody of the "12 Days of Christmas." Ash gets love from chosen women on your votes.
1. Twins' Brother

Disclaimer: No ownership of Pokémon

* * *

 _ **The 12 Elements of AshMas, Volume VIII**_

 _Type: Water  
Shipping: BlueAngelShipping_

 _One-Shot 1: Twins' Brother_

* * *

 _A crowd had gathered on the beach of Melemele Island around two young adults: Ash and Lana. The two were in white with Lana in a white wedding shoulderless gown. Ash wore a white tuxedo with his wild hair flying in the wind. Harper and Sarah watched on Lana's side with Mallow and Lillie. On Ash's side were Gladion, Sophocles and Kiawe. It was a wedding as Principal Oak united the two in the front. A crowd of Pokémon also watched from Pikachu to Primarina. Ash and Lana made their vows, Samson feeling joyous. "With their vows made, if anyone objects to the union, speak MEOWTH or forever WHISMUR your peace," he joked. No one laughed but no one said a thing. "Ash, Lana… I now pronounce you MANTINE and wife!" Cheers began as Ash and Lana shared a kiss, now married. Harper and Sarah came to Ash and hugged him._

" _Welcome to the family… big brother!" they greeted._

" _Thanks, you two!" praised Ash. The twins released Ash for Lana to be by his side. The rest of the bridesmaids and groomsmen gathered for a photo of the wedding._

* * *

Alas, it was a dream. Harper and Sarah woke to the rising sun in their home. They gasped and glanced to each other. "I just had a great dream!" they yelped to each other. "We gotta tell Lana!" They hurried out of the room but the door closed. To Harper and Sarah, Lana left. Looking through the window, they saw Lana walking out with Popplio in her arms. The twins missed their chance.

"Sarah, what now?" asked Harper. Quickly, Sarah had a plan.

"Let's follow her!" she declared before pursuing Lana. Harper followed her twin. As they trailed, they did their best to remain hidden from their big sister and Sea Lion Pokémon… or Ash and Pikachu as they arrived among the trail.

"Lana!" he called down. "Alola!" Lana turned to see her classmate and Pokémon.

"Ash!" she called up. "Alola!" To Harper and Sarah, it couldn't be a coincidence.

"Lana's with her boyfriend!" they believed as they monitored Ash reaching Lana.

"I know it hasn't been long since Poipole had to stay home," she started.

"I'm fine, Lana," Ash shrugged off. "The other Poipole and that other Ultra Beast are glad to have the light back with Necrozma." Ash's backpack came open, Rowlet sleeping soundly.

"You've seem to be looking forward and not back."

"What's past is passed." As the two youths proceeded on, Harper and Sarah saw something not right.

"How Magikarpal!" they gasped. "They're not holding hands?" They continued the chase to the Pokémon School. Harper and Sarah hid behind Kukui's desk but moved on around the perimeter of the classroom while viewing others arriving like Lillie and Sophocles. Togedemaru, Marowak and Snowy welcomed each other. Before long, Professor Kukui and Rotom entered as well.

"Alola, class!" the professor greeted. Everyone sat in their seats. Harper and Sarah grew frustrated that Lillie sat closer to Ash than Lana.

"Alola, Professor!" the students greeted back. Ash sat and Rotom came to his side.

"So, did you get the upgrades you asked?" questioned Ash.

"Well, not entirely," Rotom sighed. "I got some fro the Ultra Beasts that appeared but not the one with all those Poipole. Aether Paradise… they determined to call it UB-07:Stinger." Kiawe seemed disappointed about the research done.

"At least we returned peace in the Ultra World," he weighed. The class got going where Harper and Sarah began understanding Kukui's lessons. After a few hours, the twins fell asleep while Ash, Lana and the Pokémon had lunch.

"Professor Burnet must be a great person to have around," Lana praised. "She must be if she can cook this before going to Aether Paradise." Ash wasn't concerned about Burnet's abilities.

"I'm just glad that she and Professor Kukui are happy," he smiled. "Heck, if I wanted to… I would just go to Poni Island for the next Grand Trial." Tsareena shared some Pokémon food with Snowy. Out of nowhere, a hiss stirred Harper awake. She turned to find a Pokémon that caused her to scream. Hearing the scream, Sarah woke to find the scary Pokémon as Lana recognized the scream.

"Harper? Sarah?" As guessed, Harper and Sarah escaped their hiding place as a Salandit crawled close to them.

"A Salandit!?"

("Is it that one!?") asked Pikachu. Salandit hissed at the two.

"Don't eat us!" they cried. Salandit flung a Flame Burst at the two, forcing Lana to react with Popplio.

"Balloon!" she called out. Popplio blew a balloon up and threw it, intercepting the Flame Burst. Ash decided to follow up.

"Use Quick Attack!" he commanded. Pikachu raced at Salandit and bashed it to the railing overlooking the courtyard. Ash and Lana glanced to each other and nodded.

"Harper, Sarah, get behind me and Ash!" Harper and Sarah, scared from Salandit's appearance, obeyed and circled to the other Pokémon. Salandit recovered and hissed as Lillie heard smashes.

"What's going on!?" she wondered. Realizing their Pokémon were in the classroom, Sophocles sensed trouble.

"Let's check it out!" he ordered. Kiawe led as Lana readied her Z-Ring.

"That is enough, Salandit!" she scolded as she extended her arms out. After bringing her arms in and crossing over her chest, she performed a brief Hawaiian hula which powered her Watrium-Z to Popplio. "This is for attacking my sisters! Hydro Vortex!" Popplio's raced after and around Salandit as a whirlpool formed around the two Pokémon. Salandit was caught in its wave and couldn't escape. Ash decided to act as well.

"We're next, Lana!" he warned as he made the same arm gestures, except he brought his arms to the sides, as did Pikachu. Then, Ash made a lightning bolt out of his arms in powering his Electrium-Z. "Popplio, now!" Popplio flew out of its Hydro Vortex. Ash and Pikachu wound up to use their Z-Move. "Pikachu, full power! Gigavolt Impact!" Pikachu punched his javelin of electricity that pierced Hydro Vortex. Struck, Salandit flew out of the whirlpool and away from the Pokémon School like a line drive. With Salandit gone, Ash, Lana and the Pokémon focused their attention on Harper and Sarah as Kukui and the students arrived.

"What happened!?" asked Mallow. What they heard was Harper and Sarah crying hysterically.

"We're scared!" cried Harper as she hugged Lana.

"We thought we're toast!" whined Sarah as she cried on Ash's shoulder. As the twins cried, Ash wondered about the intruding Pokémon.

"Was that the same Salandit that attacked Snowy as an egg?" he questioned. Snowy shivered to the thought as Lana wondered to her sisters being in school.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked. "Shouldn't you be at home with Mom?" Their faces told Ash and Lana more of their fear with Salandit than anything. Feeling sympathy, Ash waged a decision.

"Let's have them stay here and learn with us," he offered. Harper and Sarah's eyes grew in awe to the offer.

"Can we, Lana?" they pleaded. Lana huffed a chuckle before accepting the idea.

"As long as you two behave," she advised. The twins cheered as Kukui called class to order.

"Alright, everyone!" he declared. "Let's get going with the next lesson." Everyone returned to their seats as Harper joined Lana and Sarah joined Ash at their desks. After Komala rang the last bell of the day, Ash joined the sisters on their way back home. They reached the fork in the road where Ash came from when Lana grabbed Ash's arm. Ash turned to Lana as the twins also spun to the two.

"Harper, can you come and hold Popplio for a minute?" she asked.

"Okay…" Harper agreed before taking Popplio from her arm. Lana turned to Ash with concern.

"Ash, ever since I introduced you to my sisters, they've believed we were a couple already. However, you helped me with understanding Popplio better, and what we've done together: the fishing battle with Wishiwashi, the encouragement with my Z-Move, the fun with Pikachu and Rowlet… Harper and Sarah… they're right! We are a couple!" Ash gulped to the confession.

"Lana, I know we've seen each other ever since I rode a Sharpedo when I first arrived in Alola," he recalled.

"Yes, I'm aware." Pikachu bailed from Ash's shoulder and joined with Sarah. "The thing is… I've wondered if maybe this is what Harper and Sarah wanted, and maybe… someone I wanted. It may have been when we lost Popplio and Rowlet, or it may have been when Dewpider had me for awhile… But seeing how you treated Harper and Sarah today, I feel like now I know what to do." She released Ash's arm but grabbed his hands. "Ash Ketchum, I… I want to rest the rumors and start dating!" Ash stood in shock. He turned to a wishing pair of sisters and their Pokémon. That's when he removed his cap and fitted it on her head backwards.

"Lana… I can tell how happy it will make everyone when I accept it." Elated, Lana leaped up and kissed Ash on the lip as her leg popped up. Her sandal fell to the ground as Harper and Sarah enjoyed the sight, believing the dream they had started to bear fruit.

"It's coming true!" they cheered. "It's coming true!" The Pokémon blinked to Harper and Sarah's claim.

("What's coming true?") asked Pikachu. When they broke their lip-lock, Ash noticed the sandal.

"Lemme get that," he offered. He knelt down and redressed her sandal with her toes wiggling.

"That's more like it," she sighed. Seeing Ash's act, Harper and Sarah nodded before kicking off a sandal each.

"It's our turn!" cheered Harper.

"Dress our feet, Ash!" ordered Sarah. Ash gulped to the twins' acts.

"You two can dress your own feet," Lana groaned.

"Dress our feet!" the two urged as the girls' mother found the kids.

"So there you girls are," she sneered. "I figured you two had to be out doing something mischievous with Lana." Harper and Sarah gulped while the Pokémon returned to their owners.

"We had a fun day today!" claimed Harper.

"Ash and Lana are now married!" claimed Sarah. Ash and Lana gawked to Sarah's exaggeration.

"Too soon!" they snapped back. Pikachu and Popplio sighed in fluster.

"But we dreamed that you married!" proclaimed Harper.

"And look how happy you are now!" added Sarah. Suddenly, the twins felt a strong sensation of anger behind them. Looking back, they saw their mother burning mad.

"Get in the house… NOW!" she demanded. The twins became scared out of their minds and could wonder what the mother would do to them if they didn't obey.

"So, that's where the anger came from," Ash shuttered. Harper and Sarah reapplied their sandals before going inside. After the twins retreated, the mother saw the new pair.

"So, is this true that my eldest daughter's now dating?" she asked.

"We are, Mom," Lana confirmed. Elated, the mother hugged the two.

"My baby girl's growing up…" After breaking the hug, she had a guess to Ash's appearance. "So, will you be staying tonight?" Ash took one glance to Lana as they held hands.

"I think so," he admitted. "I'll need to call Professors Kukui and Burnet, let them know the issue."

"No problem." After being let in, Ash joined the family for dinner. The Pokémon were also fed. Night fell and Ash slept with the girls as Popplio slept with Pikachu and Rowlet. Rotom took pictures of everyone snoozing before he shut himself down. Lana snuggled by Ash's head, Harper was on Ash's arm and Sarah wrapped his leg. It would be a glorious night for the four.

* * *

 _Popplio blew a balloon big enough to encase Ash and Lana inside as they traveled beneath the ocean's surface. All sorts of Water-Type Pokémon swimming made the journey a worthy moment. "This is… my dream!" awed Lana. Ash recognized many of the Water-Type Pokémon as Pikachu joined with a balloon of his own and guided by Popplio._

" _Surskit, Corsola, Lapras…" he named a few. Some Skrelp and Dragalge pulled the couple's balloon down to the ocean floor where they viewed a castle surrounded by its own balloon. "No way! Is that… an underwater castle?" The Water-Type Pokémon formed a line to guide the two to the castle. Lana suddenly had a thought._

" _They must be welcoming us to our new home!" Hearing Lana, Ash gasped._

" _Well, can't say I was expecting that. Still, wherever we go, we have each other." Lana nodded to Ash's wish as they now had a place to call home… Under the Sea._

* * *

END of WATER  
Next up: PSYCHIC

(With this, all of Ash's classmates have been done. Keep up those votes and have a Happy Thanksgiving!)


	2. Knight With The Queen

Type: Psychic  
Shipping: CameranQueenShipping

* * *

 _One-Shot 2: Knight with the Queen_

* * *

Ash, May, Max, Brock and their Pokémon friends made their way into Saffron City. May was ready to start her Pokémon Contest campaign in Kanto. "My first contest since the Evergrand Festival," she reminded herself. "It's a new slate for me, and I can't wait to take the Contest Ribbon to start my reign!" It hadn't been that long since Ash and his friends started their new journey after Hoenn. May hoisted a Pokéball to her face as Ash saw the fire brimming from her.

"She's excited for this," he chuckled. "I can only imagine her using her Munchlax for this."

"That may not be the best option," Max doubted. "I'm gonna say her Combusken becomes her Pokémon choice." Unfortunately for the two, neither of the two Pokémon mentioned was what May had in mind.

"Squirtle, this will be our first contest together," she advised. The boys gawked to her decision.

"Hold on, May!" her brother shrieked. "You just got Squirtle! Don't you think it'll be too much for him!?" May turned to her sibling with little care.

"Max, we've been practicing and I can tell that he's ready for the spotlight." Brock laughed to May's assumption.

"And here I was, thinking she's pulling an Ash," he believed. Ash scoffed to Brock's tease, which he heard. "Uh… too much?" Ash showed his hand with space between his thumb and index finger.

("Just a little bit,") Pikachu summed up.

"Sorry…" Max turned to Ash with some concern.

"Are you sure that you don't wanna watch?" he asked. To Ash, he needed to prepare himself.

"After that battle with Noland, I realize the Battle Frontier isn't gonna be a cakewalk," he explained. "Besides, May did make it to the Battle Stage in the Grand Festival in Hoenn, so I have confidence she'll be fine." May snickered to Ash's plans.

"Someone who looks forward and not back…" Still, she respected his choice. "Well, at least he'll watch it on the big screen." Brock and Max felt May was ready.

"Raring to go after your first Kanto Ribbon," Brock thought. "Let's get going!" The siblings nodded before all three left Ash and Pikachu to enter the hall. Ash began to journey to a field nearby so that he could see the screen for when May had her turn.

"I'm feeling ready to tackle the next Frontier Symbol but practice can't hurt," he plotted.

("Do we know what Pokémon will be there?") he questioned. Ash didn't hear the Mouse Pokémon.

"Let's get going while May's waiting her turn." Forgetting his own question, Pikachu prepared for some intense training. They never got a chance as a Rapidash-drawn carriage pulled up. This surprised those wanting to watch the Pokémon Contest from outside. They wondered what famous person emerged for the Contest. The carriage door open and a young woman emerged, but to Ash, she's not any ordinary young woman. "Queen Ilene?" Hearing her name, Ilene gasped to seeing the trainer.

"Ash?" she noticed. Ash realized that he and Pikachu needed to properly introduce the young queen.

' _What's she doing away from Cameran Palace? Maybe now isn't the time, she's royalty.'_ Before he could bend a knee, Ilene wrapped her arms around him as Pikachu gawked. The queen was hugging Ash.

"Thank goodness I found you! I've been wanting to come to you sooner!" The people and Pokémon gawked. As Ash tried to recover, Ilene kissed him a few times with firms presses of her lips on the forehead and the cheeks. Ash couldn't believe what he received: a hug and a few kisses from a royal figure.

"Queen Ilene, what's going on?" No one had a clue to Ilene's sudden embrace to Ash, not even Pikachu.

"I've… wanted to address something to you since you and your friends saved the kingdom. We can discuss this back at the palace." Ash blinked before looking to the monitor which had a countdown timer.

"Are you sure? We have friends inside for May's Pokémon Contest." Ilene heard the reasoning and bowed a nod.

"You can rest easy." A guard stepped up to Ilene's side.

"I will make sure your colleagues receive the message," he promised. He walked to the building to pass the message. After it was sent, he joined Ash, Ilene and Pikachu as they got a ride on the carriage. The ride lasted a few hours when they arrived at Cameran Palace. To Ash, he remembered being with Kidd Summers in the tournament. He, Pikachu and Ilene stepped out of the carriage and walked into the palace side-by-side.

"I'm actually glad to have you back here in the palace," she hummed. "Ever since the moment Lucario arrived, I found myself deeply concerned." Ash didn't think Ilene had a reason.

"I'm a Pokémon Trainer, your highness," he clarified. "I help any Pokémon in need, including your Mime, Jr." The Mime Pokémon giggled to Ash's word as the two journeyed down the hall. They arrived at the balcony where they saw the Tree of Beginning. "Boy, this brings back some more memories." Pikachu blinked to Ash's claim.

("Up here?") he squeaked. To Ilene, she remembered the spot.

"After Mew had taken Pikachu and Meowth to the Tree of Beginning, you had a new journey to uptake on short notice," she recalled. "To think, what happened a thousand years ago with Queen Rin and Sir Aaron, and that was in the middle of a war. Of course, seeing you as Sir Aaron didn't help calm me." Ash gulped to the outfit he wore to the Cameran Tournament.

"I-I chose it because it looked cool," he stuttered. "How in the world would I know that it would bring Lucario out of Aaron's staff?" Ilene giggled as Mime Jr patted Ash's shoulder.

"How would I have known that the aura from Sir Aaron was inside of you? That's what summoned Lucario out of the staff. It makes me wonder what happened that made Sir Aaron imprison his own Pokémon." To Ash, he experienced it with the help of a series of items on hand.

"From what the Time Flowers told me, Sir Aaron had a feeling that Lucario needed a partner for the future. He trapped Lucario and sacrificed himself to save the root of the problem within the Tree of Beginning." This befuddled Ilene.

"Sir Aaron had nothing to do with the war the thousand years prior?"

"Supposedly not… and at the time, Lucario was injured." Ilene recalled the moment Lucario appeared at the party after the tournament.

"Yes, he couldn't see so he used his aura to find you. Now, the pieces are starting to come together. I feel more terrible about Lucario and the physical and emotional pain he endured." Ash nodded as he stared at the rock formation that is the Tree of Beginning. "When I saw your journey to the Tree of Beginning, I had a feeling that history would repeat itself." To Ash, history did.

"It did happen again: Mew was sick and Lucario sacrificed himself to keep me around. At least, he and Sir Aaron are back together."

"And you're here with all of us. That's what my concern was about, anyway." Ash gawked in awe to Ilene's brief. That's when pale pink ears emerged from Ash's head. Ilene saw that too and quickly giggled, as well as Mime, Jr. "Someone decided to visit." On cue, Mew flew from behind Ash and Pikachu and giggled as well.

("You came back!") it mewed. Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder to greet the Psychic Pokémon.

"Hey, Mew," Ash welcomed. "How are you feeling?"

("You seem alright,") Pikachu squeaked.

("More than alright,") Mew mewed. It flew around Ash and Pikachu before Ilene and Mime, Jr.

"So, this was the cause of the journey," awed Ilene. "It's nice to know that it's flying well." Mime, Jr., and Mew had a meeting of foreheads. Sharing their thoughts, Mew flew up to receive a petting from Ilene. That's when her thoughts focused on the past as she hugged Mew. "It's ironic… A monarch, let alone a queen like myself infatuated by a knight. Normally, they're attached… married to their king. Then again, Queen Rin's heart was the same as I." Ash and the Pokémon looked to the queen with query.

("What does she mean?") asked Pikachu. To Ash, the costume he wore gave Ilene an idea.

"Wait a second," he gasped. "You see me as a knight?" Ilene gazed to the Tree of Beginning, as did Mime, Jr.

"You see, I read Queen Rin's diary and her entries involved her admiration to Sir Aaron," she explained. "When the war between the two factions surfaced and threatened the palace, Sir Aaron knew he had to protect Rin from those who sought battle and bloodshed. Turns out that a month before the war… the queen had fallen in love with Sir Aaron. She wanted him as her king." From a pocket, she pulled a ring with the same sky blue jewel that was on the scepter. Even Ash saw it.

"Hey, the jewel… It's just like what Aaron's scepter had as the head!"

"Yes, the same crystal that Sir Aaron imprisoned Lucario in the midst of the war. When the war ended, Queen Rin wished to fulfill her dream and run the country with Aaron as the king… but alas…" Ash and the Pokémon remembered the outcome.

"Queen Rin didn't have a chance." Mew let out a slight whimper. Ilene held the ring to her chest before turning to Ash.

"This is why I brought you here, Ash: you've inherited Sir Aaron's incredible aura and his courage. By journeying in his past to fix the problem at the Tree of Beginning, I want to finish what Queen Rin wanted." Ash gasped in awe to her proposal, but soon dipped his head. Pikachu new the reason.

("We're not done with our dream,") he squeaked. Ash stepped from the railing and looked away from Ilene.

"I didn't know I had this aura, let alone that the aura once belonged to Sir Aaron," he admitted. "My goal is to be the greatest Pokémon Master. I never asked for the power of aura. I don't want to be an aura master!" Sympathetic to Ash, Ilene came to Ash and placed her hands on his shoulders from behind.

"I will not avert your decision on being an aura guardian like Sir Aaron," she assured. "I will tell you this: the aura, whether you want it or not, will protect you. It's that aura… I also want to protect." Reacting, Ash placed a hand on one of hers. That's when Jenny arrived.

"Queen Ilene, we're ready in the throne room," she reported. Ilene looked to her maid.

"Thank you, Jenny," she accepted. "Ash, there's a process we must do on behalf of your heroism. Come." Ash began to wonder as he and the Pokémon followed the queen and Mime, Jr. They entered the throne room where a cast of people and Pokémon who help the queen gathered. One assistant brought a sword on a pillow, spooking Mew to hide behind Ash and Pikachu. The two turned to Mew, understanding its fear.

"Relax, Mew," he assured. "Queen Ilene isn't going to cut us up." Pikachu hopped off where it picked up a scent of someone familiar. He followed the scent to the leg of a young woman.

"I can't believe you found me, Pikachu," she laughed before picking him up. Looking, Pikachu eyed Kidd Summers.

("Hi, Kidd!") he greeted. Ash stood before Ilene as everyone stood to the queen.

"A thousand years ago, a knight had braved the war that placed a crisis on Cameran Palace," she addressed. "While this knight sacrificed himself in saving the lands and the Pokémon, he left a legacy that wouldn't be shown for the duration. However, a new knight had emerged and has cherished the magic that had once been declared lost. To us, a mere Pokémon Trainer… To a few, a warrior… a hero… a knight. Ash Ketchum now holds the power once belonging to Sir Aaron." Ash stepped forward before kneeling to the queen. Ilene took the sword and held it with the faces facing each as she stepped to Ash. "In the face of fear…" She tapped the face of the blade to Ash's right shoulder. Then, she glided the blade over his head and tapped the left shoulder. "In the face of danger…" Ilene pulled the sword from Ash and he began to stand. "The youngest of knights stands upon all witnesses. Face the people whom you've staved from trouble, Sir Ash of Pallet." Ash snickered but turned to the people who applauded the knighted young man.

' _This feels… awesome…'_ he thought. Ilene came to Ash's side before grabbing his shoulder. Turning, Ilene gave Ash a kiss to his lips. Ash's eyes lit up as she had a firm lock to him and the crowd cheered. Even Pikachu gawked to the kiss that Ilene kept firm.

("Okay, where's Max!?") he asked. After about a minute, Ilene broke the kiss, but Ash was a goner. He passed out from the excitement and surprise of Ilene's royal lips on his. Pikachu raced to see Ash's condition. ("Is he okay?") Mew also became concerned for Ash. Hearing him breathing normally, the Pokémon knew he'd be okay.

"I guess that was a little much," Ilene kidded. Jenny came by with plans.

"Your highness, now that Ash has been officially knighted," she opened. "Are you going to send him back to his crew?" Ilene looked out. Nighttime… By the time Ash returned, it would be past curfew.

"Tomorrow morning. Tonight, he'll be here." Jenny nodded before servants came to pick Ash up. That's when Ilene whispered something to one of the servants. After everyone cleared out, Pikachu was in the guest room after he and Mew said farewell to each other. Kidd had Pikachu in her arms as they entered the guest room.

"I'm pretty sure Ash will join us after he recovers from that faint," she assumed. "Probably the first time he's been kissed there."

("I say because of the queen,") he believed. Unfortunately, Ash was still out as Ilene wore a nightgown and reached Ash who was asleep.

"I'm glad to have a knight of my own," she smiled. Before joining, she stroked Ash's hair while coming under the blankets. She wrapped her arms around Ash's body, still stroking the wild hair. That's when she began to sing a lullaby. Ash began to smile to the soothing voice of Ilene before she kissed him on the cheek and falling asleep herself. Ash may not have wanted to follow in the footsteps of Sir Aaron, but now that his aura is with him, he can spend a night knowing that he's been royally blessed.

* * *

END of PSYCHIC  
Next up: GHOST

* * *

(There's a fun one done. Alright, after Ghost is up, I'll reset the polls.)


	3. Ghost Storyteller

_Type: Ghost  
Shipping: SpiritTrainerShipping_

* * *

 _One-Shot 3: Ghost Storyteller_

* * *

On Ula'Ula Island, Ash was training with his Pokémon in the mountains. He still had frustration after the Island Kahuna, Nanu, exposed Ash's fear in their one-on-one battle with Lycanroc and Krookodile. "Rowlet, Use Razor Leaf!" he commanded. Rowlet flew above Ash and cocked his wings back. With a caw, he thrust his wings and a green glowing blade flew out of the flaps. The open air allowed the Razor Leaf attack to fly away uninterrupted.

("How was that?") cawed Rowlet.

("That looked good, Rowlet!") squeaked Pikachu. Tapu Bulu watched from a distance as Ash continued his training and his rematch with Nanu. Lycanroc, Torracat and Poipole relaxed under the sun. Suddenly, Rowlet spotted company. Flying up was a Shiny Mimikyu which startled the Grass Quill Pokémon. He flew to behind Ash who also saw the tiny Disguise Pokémon.

"It's okay, Rowlet," Ash assured. "Mimikins is nice." Ash allowed Mimikins to fly through him. Startled at first, Rowlet flew around Mimikins to understand as someone else came by.

"I heard that you're training up here," she called out. Looking, Ash and the Pokémon saw Acerola. Tapu Bulu woke to find the girl.

"Hey, Acerola! What brings you here?" Acerola reached down and petted Lycanroc.

"Came to see how your progress is with your training. Seems you're trying to decide how to challenge my uncle after what happened the other day."

"Yeah, Nanu isn't a walk in the park. You're not an Island Kahuna if you're easy on everyone." Acerola nodded to the claim.

"That and… I… wanted to apologize for my uncle's behavior to you." Ash seemed startled with Acerola's confession. "Uncle Nanu was once a nice man and loyal guard to Ula'Ula Island. Meeting you, I've had a nice time and I got to know what your Pokémon can do. I just wish he'd understand you a little more before he tried to shoo you from the island." Ash knew Acerola wanted some peace with any visitor to the island.

"I guess I was a little excited to try the Island Kahuna so soon after coming here. Anxiety in becoming a Pokémon Master, I guess." Acerola giggled to Ash's claim before having an idea.

"Let's head back to the library. I bet you and your Pokémon have had enough training today." Ash took one look to a sleepy and fluttering Rowlet to make a choice.

"Yeah, they could use some rest." Ash returned most of his Pokémon. Pikachu and Poipole joined the children back to the library where Acerola's friends waited for her.

"Hey, Big Sis!" greeted Piko. Nene saw Ash and his Pokémon.

"You brought someone over?" she wondered.

"I did, you two!" confirmed Acerola. "This is Ash, Pikachu and Poipole!"

"Hey!" greeted Ash.

("Nice to be here!") squeaked Pikachu. Piko and Nene came to Pikachu to pet.

"You're so cute!" cheered Nene. Piko looked to Ash.

"Are you doing the Island Challenge?" he asked.

"I sure am!" replied Ash. "Came here for the Grand Trial against Nanu." Poipole gazed at the books throughout the library. "You must really love to read."

"We do!" agreed Nene. "I never seen a Pokémon like that." Poipole came to the kids, intrigued to their curiosity.

"Yeah, Poipole is a unique Pokémon: an Ultra Beast." Piko and Nene gulped as Poipole flew around.

"A-Are U-Ultra Beasts s-scary?" asked Nene.

"There are some but Poipole is just fun-loving. Of course, you want a scary Ultra Beast… I've got a story about one I dealt with." Intrigued, Piko, Nene, Acerola and Mimikins gathered seats, the late Disguise Pokémon finding hers on Ash's shoulder. Ash readied himself as Rotom prepared to show the highlights. "It started as a man from Aether Paradise had taken a Pokémon I was suppose to take care of. Lillie, Gladion and I raced over to Aether Paradise to stop him and rescue Nebby." The kids looked befuddled to the name.

"Who's Nebby?" asked Acerola.

"Allow me," Rotom offered to help. It showed Nebby on his screen. "While technically we don't know what Pokémon it really is, Nebby was named since it resembled a piece of Nebula."

"It's so cute!" squealed Nene. Ash continued with his story.

"When we found Nebby, it was being used to open an Ultra Wormhole," he explained. "I freed it with Lusamine watching, as well as Lillie and Gladion." The names gave Piko pause.

"Aren't Lillie and Gladion… Lusamine's kids?" he asked.

"Yes…"

"Gotcha…"

"Anyway, before we could breathe a sigh of relief, Nebby evolved… kinda." Rotom showed the rest Nebby's cocooned form.

"It's like Caterpie or Wurmple evolving and unable to move for awhile," Acerola compared.

"And it got worse when an Ultra Beast came through an Ultra Wormhole: UB-01: Symbiont, AKA Nihilego." The kids gulped before Rotom revealed Nihilego on his screen.

"This is who Ash is referring to," he computed. "Nihilego, the Parasite Pokémon. A Rock and Poison-Type. Nihilego tends to behave like young girls, but is known to be territorial when disturbed."

"That's a scary Pokémon!" shivered Nene. "What happened next?"

"It came after Lillie and Gladion, but Lusamine got in front of it, sacrificing herself for her kids," he described. "Nihilego took Lusamine through the Ultra Wormhole… and we feared that there's no way to get her back. We talked to Kahuna Hala about this and our journey reached the Temple of the Sunne on Poni Island. Turns out, we were expected."

"By who?" questioned Piko.

"The Island Guardians: Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu and Tapu Fini." The kids awed the news of Tapu Bulu helping out, aside from the other Island Guardians. "They combined their energy to where our thoughts became disbelief: Nebby evolved to the Legendary Pokémon, Solgaleo." Gasps filled the library about the story.

"You're raising Solgaleo!?" gawked Acerola. "That's amazing!"

"Believe me, I had no idea at all. At least we had a chance to rescue Lusamine. We traveled through an Ultra Wormhole before finding Lusamine being controlled by Nihilego."

"It must have been terrifying," Piko assumed. Ash nodded.

"It was. We all feared we couldn't get Lusamine back. Heck, my classmates were battling Lusamine's Pokémon under Nihilego's control. Just when our backs were against the wall, Pikachu and I managed to pull off a new Z-Move, one not seen before: Ten Million Volt Thunderbolt!" The kids gasped to how Ash was able to perform a powerful Z-Move.

"Can you show us?" pleaded Piko. "Please?" Ash looked at the Electrium-Z on his Z-Ring.

"I believe it only works in certain situations. I can't perform it at will." The kids moaned, disappointed that Ash couldn't use Ten Million Volt Thunderbolt.

"But it was enough to defeat Nihilego, right?" guessed Acerola.

"It was," Ash confirmed. "We freed Lusamine and she seemed back to normal. After that, we escaped through the Ultra Wormhole back to the Temple of the Sunne. About a couple of weeks later, my classmates were assigned to deal with Ultra Beasts under the name of Ultra Guardians." The kids awed the story, beaming smiles from each face. Mimikins squawked with nods, liking the story as well.

"Such a great story!" smiled Nene. "Do you have more? Maybe from something romantic you saw?" Piko stumbled as he gawked to the request.

"Anything but that!" he denied. "Anymore stories with Legendary Pokémon?" Ash laughed, sensing the kids' passions.

"I've got a few I can talk about," he pondered. "Should I do the one with Darkrai or maybe the three bird Pokémon?" The kids made a unanimous choice before Ash began another tale. After sometime, the sun began to set.

"We had some fun today, Big Bro," Piko giggled. "And thanks for letting me hold Rowlet. He needs to be more alert at times."

"And thanks for letting me hold an Ultra Beast, as well as pet your Pikachu and Lycanroc," Nene complimented. Lycanroc barked with a smile to the praise. "You and Big Sis are a pair of great storytellers." Ash laughed again, not minding the name given by Piko.

"Big Bro…" he repeated. "I like it!" Nene came over and kissed Ash on the cheek. Ash's cheeks bled slightly red. As the two left, Ash looked to find not only Rowlet but his Pokémon falling asleep, even Poipole. "Guess they're more worn out than I believed…" Acerola and Mimikins stood by Ash's side.

"I'm glad I didn't have to tell a story today," she teased. "Those two did need a fresh tale, let alone the few you had."

"Thanks, I guess… Of course, I wasn't sure I wanted to tell them about my time in the tower in Lavender Town." Acerola looked to Ash with a bit of surprise.

"Isn't that the tower with all the Ghost-Type Pokémon?"

"Yeah… in fact, Pikachu and I actually died. " A gasp from Acerola made her race to Ash and pat around his body.

"You're alive! You can't be dead!"

"See, what happened was that I had gone to the tower to find a Ghost-Type Pokémon to battle Gym Leader Sabrina." Acerola snapped her fingers at the name.

"I heard about Sabrina. She's the Gym Leader in Saffron City that specializes in Psychic-Type Pokémon."

"Right. We entered the tower to get a Ghost-Type Pokémon and when we came close, a chandelier crushed us. Haunter pulled our souls from our bodies and for awhile, we're ghosts. I played a trick on Misty for fun before we returned to our bodies." Acerola even patted his chest.

"I find it hard to believe you and Pikachu actually died… but then again, I'm glad you're here and not six feet under. Otherwise, you wouldn't have had those stories to tell." Ash chuckled to the response. Suddenly, he had a huge yawn.

"I didn't know storytelling takes a lot out on you."

"It does. It's also late." Acerola guided Ash to a bed. She held onto Pikachu and Mimikins floated beside them. She laid Ash down and helped tuck him in. Ash fell asleep quickly as Acerola admired the face, something Rotom noticed.

"What's with that look?" he asked. Acerola's hand petted Ash's hair.

"I'm actually glad he came to Ula'Ula Island. Pikachu, Rowlet, Lycanroc, Torracat, Poipole… If he decides to stay on the islands…" She leaned down and kissed Ash on the lips. Mimikins squawked in awe, flying around in shock. Rotom's CPU unit burned up inside the Dex. It heated up so much, it immediately shut himself down. Ash woke up to the kiss and gulped. He soon sat up. Pikachu leaped down onto the bed where Mimikins joined.

"Acerola?" he shuttered. "What was-"

"Easy, dear." Hearing what Acerola called him, Ash's face became bright red. Mimikins snuggled with Pikachu. "It's a little gift for the stories you told us. If Mimikins wanted, she'd also would sleep in you." Ash gawked in fear of what Mimikins could do. However, it's Acerola's Pokémon, making him breathe easily. She kicked her sandals off before she started crawling under the sheets and snuggled with Ash. Her slender and pale arms wrapped around his neck. "Besides, I wouldn't mind if you stay here after you become Pokémon Master… In fact, we'd welcome it."

"We? You and Mimikins?"

"That's right. Besides, Uncle Nanu needs to know my feelings as well. First, it's you." She reached to Ash's face and connected his lips again. A little startled, Ash soon welcomed the kiss. The two fell asleep once more, their lips interlocked. It seemed to be just the two and their Pokémon until a shadow appeared in front of the moonlit sky. Nanu saw his niece sleeping soundly with her new beau.

"Well, at least Acerola has a spirit to share," he sighed. "If anything, she'll be his problem, not mine. Besides, I still have that litter of Meowth at the station. Maybe I should give one to the kid before he goes back. It'd go well with his Pikachu." Nanu hopped down before retreating back to his post. Ash may have been reborn as someone to be loved. Their love could last beyond their time… or anyone's or anything's in that matter. A pair of spirits now intertwined.

* * *

END of GHOST  
Next up: ELECTRICITY

(With this, December starts with a refreshed poll. Stay tuned and keep the votes coming.)


	4. I Find Chu, I Love Chu

_Type: Electric  
Shipping: DrasticShipping & LostPikaShipping_

* * *

 _One-Shot 4: I Find Chu, I Love Chu_

* * *

Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie and the Pokémon had arrived in a new city. The crew looked to Serena in curiosity to the new city. She gasped to a notice. "Look at this!" she spoke up. "There's a Pokémon Showcase here and it takes place tomorrow!" Bonnie and the boys looked to the blond with interests.

"I saw an arena in the distance," Clemont pointed out. "Is it there?" Serena checked her map and saw the location.

"It is! I'm gonna find out about the theme before I prepare for it." Ash nodded to Serena's finding.

"I know you'll be great tomorrow when the Showcase starts," he offered his support.

"Thanks! I'll see you in a bit!" She raced off to go and register for the Showcase.

"That kind of confidence is something only you bring, Ash," Clemont teased.

"We all need something to back ourselves up," Ash shrugged. "Even you and Bonnie." That's when he noticed the aforementioned name missing. "Speaking of Bonnie…" Clemont turned around and also noticed no Bonnie.

"Where… did she-!"

("Over there!") alerted Pikachu. Looking to where Pikachu faced, Ash and Clemont eyed Bonnie with a teenage white-haired girl in a school uniform.

"A smart girl is definitely what Clemont needs!" she awed. "I want you to take care of my brother!" The white-haired girl looked puzzled as Clemont's Aipom Arm reached for and grabbed Bonnie by the back of the shirt and lifted her.

"Bonnie, I've told you a million times!" he cried.

"Hey, I'm finding options for you!" she snapped before turning to the white-haired girl. "I hope you give it some thought, okay?" Rather than let the girl answer, Clemont raced out of sight but Dedenne had fallen from his perch on Bonnie's head.

"Don't listen to her!" yelled Clemont. "This is so embarrassing!" Pikachu came to aid Dedenne before Ash reached the two Electric-Type Pokémon.

"So typical of those two," he sighed while laughing. "I don't know if I'm glad or upset that I'm an only child." As Ash hoisted Clemont's Pokémon, Pikachu eyed someone familiar.

("Is that Lyn?") he squeaked. Ash heard and turned to see the little girl looking around.

"Pichu!?" she called out. "Lena!?" Dedenne leaped from Ash's arms to reach the girl as Ash and Pikachu followed.

("Hey, Lyn!") he squeaked. Lyn turned to see a Pokémon she briefly took care of.

"Dedenne?" she recognized. "I can't believe it!" She held Dedenne as Ash and Pikachu reached her.

"Did you get lost again?" he asked. Hearing the question, Lyn began to cry and buried her face onto Ash's chest. "I take that as a yes. Hey, calm down." Tears streaking down her scared face, Lyn sniffled in the attempt to ease up.

"I'm sorry! Pichu escaped from his bag and I ran after him! I don't know where I am!" Ash knew she wanted to take care of Pichu. Ash sympathized with Lyn. He looked to see no one else.

"It's just like a Pokémon battle… I gotta do this myself. I'll help find Lena and Pichu, don't you worry." Lyn sniffled once more.

"O-okay…" Clemont's dealing with Bonnie, Serena's signing for her Showcase… Ash had to take control.

"I'm gonna need everyone for this. Come on out!" He threw his Pokéballs up which opened. Hawlucha, Frogadier, Talonflame and Noibat emerged. All huddled with Ash and Lyn for the game plan. "I'll need all of you to look for Lena and Pichu through the air. If they're calling for Lyn, that's who we'll find and I'll need you to bring them to us. Frogadier, you'll board Talonflame. Pikachu, you'll board Hawlucha. Dedenne, I also know you want to help out."

("I do!") the Antennae Pokémon agreed.

"You'll board Noibat. Let's go!" Listening to Ash, the Pokémon arranged their assignments and took to the air in different directions.

"Can they find Lena and Pichu?" gulped Lyn.

"Don't worry, my Pokémon are highly skilled," Ash assured. "Hold on. I don't want you to wander by yourself."

"O-okay!" Accepting, Lyn grabbed Ash's hand and they started to journey for their search. "I only wonder where Pichu is." Ash sensed Lyn's dread, fearing she won't see Pichu again.

"Like I said, don't you worry about it. I know my Pokémon will pull through." As the two left the scene, Clemont and Bonnie returned.

"I keep telling you, Clemont!" she sassed. "I'm sure Dad can agree: You're at that age where you need someone to take care of you!"

"Bonnie, I can find someone, myself!" he protested. "You don't need to delve into my private life… unless it's you that needs to be taken care of." Bonnie balked, shivers running up her body. She turned around to confront her brother's tease.

"C-Clemont! Not funny!" Clemont snickered to Bonnie's reaction. As soon as they arrived, they spotted no one around.

"Hey, where's Ash?" Even Bonnie realized their Kanto friend was nowhere in sight… and that wasn't all.

"Where's Dedenne!?" Suddenly, Clemont had a thought that made him calm down.

"Hold on. He's probably waiting for Serena at the arena."

"Oh, so Dedenne wouldn't miss it, huh? But didn't she say it's tomorrow?"

"Well, she may be discussing with other performers so… Let's go check on them."

"Good idea, I'm kinda worried." They headed to the arena to find Ash. Reaching the building and entering, they saw a crowd of people waiting to see the Showcase early. Quickly, the siblings sensed something wasn't right. "Wait, I was told the Showcase was tomorrow!"

"Yeah, what's going on?" Someone came to Clemont and Bonnie for more information.

"Sorry about that, we had an error with the posting. We have it posted for the 15th but somehow, it was posted on the 16th." A typo… Clemont and Bonnie gawked to the mistake.

"Maybe Ash caught on and is waiting inside," Bonnie suspected. Clemont decided to ask about one of the performers.

"Excuse me, but is Serena backstage?" he wondered. Another person heard a name and grabbed a clipboard.

"Serena, you requested?" he repeated. "Aha! She's backstage as we speak. The performers have been given a couple of hours as our apology for the mistake." The siblings blinked before pondering what to do.

"Clemont, what now?" asked Bonnie. Clemont wondered about what to do. At a fountain, Hawlucha and Pikachu soared over to find a Pichu cornered by a flock of Murkrow.

("Is that the Pichu?") the Wrestling Pokémon asked.

("No question!") the Mouse Pokémon confirmed. ("Let's help!")

("¡SI!") The two Pokémon flew in with Pikachu releasing an Electro Ball. It tagged the Murkrow. Three of them fell from the shock and blow. The rest of the flock flew away, allowing Pikachu and Hawlucha to approach Pichu, who recognized the evolved form.

("I remember you!") it squeaked.

("It's a good thing, too,") Pikachu sighed. ("Lyn's worried sick.")

("She is?") A nod from Pikachu told Pichu where it needed to be. ("Okay…")

("That's good. Lena's gotta be worried about you as well.") The added detail made Pichu apologetic.

("I'm sorry. I saw a field of flowers I wanted to smell. I didn't mean to make them panic.") Hawlucha looked back with a plan.

("I'll find the master from above,") he squawked.

("We'll be behind you,") Pikachu accepted. Hawlucha nodded to the plan before taking to the air again. Noibat and Dedenne were airborne and searching for someone.

"Lyn!?" someone shouted. "Lyn!" Looking down, Dedenne spotted Lena running.

("That's Big Sis!") he squealed. Noibat sensed what Dedenne needed to do and flew down.

("For daddy!") it cawed. Hearing the two Pokémon, Lena looked up.

("Big Sis!") Landing, Dedenne galloped to her.

"Dedenne, I remember you," Lena gasped. "Were you with my sister?"

("She's with Ash back that way!") pointed Dedenne. Lena realized Lyn was safe.

"You're riding with Noibat meaning that you're with Clemont, right?"

("No, Noibat's with Ash.") Not listening to the Antennae Pokémon, Lena had a command.

"Can you take me to her?" With that command, Noibat took to the air once more. At a bench close by, Ash handed Lyn a large doughnut.

"Here you go," he offered.

"Thanks," Lyn praised. Ash sat down with a danish to snack on as he also had some other baked goods. Seeing the danish, Lyn became curious. "What's that?" Ash nearly took a bite to the pastry before showing Lyn.

"It's a danish pastry with cinnamon and Passho Berry sauce. Wanna try?"

"Can I?" Ash broke a piece off for Lyn who shoved it in her mouth. Her eyes lit up to the taste. "So good…!" Ash laughed to Lyn's cooing reaction.

"Glad you like it." After their flight together, Talonflame and Frogadier reemerged. They came back empty-handed. "No Lena or Pichu?"

("Nothing,") Talonflame cawed lowly.

("Sorry, Sensei,") Frogadier croaked. Ash knew they tried.

"Get some rest," he allowed before feeding some Pokémon food. This made Lyn worry. That's when Hawlucha and the two Mice Pokémon spotted Ash and Lyn before alerting their arrival.

("We found Pichu!") the Mouse Pokémon squeaked.

("Lyn!") cried Pichu. Hearing the two Electric-Type Pokémon and finding the one she wanted to watch, Lyn awed the Pokémon's aid as she ran to her Tiny Mouse.

"Pichu!" she cried. Reaching, she hugged Pichu with tears streaking down her eyes. "Thank goodness, you're okay!"

("I'm sorry!") As they embraced, Ash congratulated his Pokémon.

"Way to go, Pikachu!" he praised. "Hawlucha..."

("Gracias,") Hawlucha beaked with a smile.

("Like you'd doubt us,") Pikachu teased. Ash petted both Pokémon before someone else came by.

"Lyn!" screamed Lena. Lyn turned to see Lena with Dedenne on her shoulder. Lyn and Pichu raced to Lena and hugged her. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Lena!" teared Lyn.

"Don't go running off again, you hear me?" Dedenne reunited with the other Pokémon who awed its' effort. Even Ash acknowledged Clemont's Pokémon.

"It's a good thing you're around, Dedenne," he thanked.

("No problem, Ash!") he giggled. Seeing who was with Lyn, Lena came to Ash.

"I never would've thought you'd be helping my little sister," she awed as she reached Ash. "Thank you. Maybe I should have you watch Lyn more often when I'm not looking." Ash chuckled to Lena's assessment.

"Not that I mind," he hummed. "Lyn did behave while my Pokémon searched for you and Pichu." Lena huffed a smiling giggle as Clemont and Bonnie arrived.

"There they are!" the Lumiose Gym Leader gasped. Their timing couldn't have been worse as Lena leaned in and gave Ash a kiss to the lips. Lyn and the Pokémon awed the kiss while the siblings gasped in disbelief. "No amount of science saw that coming."

"I was hoping it would be Serena!" growled Bonnie. The kiss made Lyn want to copy.

"I want to kiss Ash, too!" she wished. Lena giggled to the thought before allowing Lyn to kiss Ash on the cheek. The blushing Pokémon trainer became a little more red. Forgetting about Lena's kiss, Bonnie laughed to Ash's face after the sisters lips were on his face.

"It's a good thing Serena's back in the arena getting ready for the Showcase," she relayed. Ash looked to the brother/sister siblings on that news.

"Wait, I thought the Showcase was tomorrow," he recalled.

"A typo that was unchecked," Lena explained.

"Really, so it's actually today?" A nod from Clemont told Ash that they needed to get to the arena on the double.

"Luckily, we should have time to reach the arena before they start," Clemont pointed out. Squishy finally popped its head out to see the ordeal.

"As long as Serena doesn't know about the new relationship that was suppose to be yours!" snapped Bonnie at Clemont.

"Now, Bonnie," Lena called out as she leaned at the little blond. "Telling who your big brother should be with takes away the freedom for him to choose. Same goes with Ash and Serena. Do you understand?" Bonnie gulped to the advice from Lena. Even Ash nodded to her point.

"It's something I wished Brock would adopt more often," Ash muttered. "Besides, there's no sense going out of your way just to get somebody to like you." To Lyn, that wasn't true.

"But you and your Pokémon went out of _your_ way to get Lena to like you," she countered. Ash looked to the little blue-haired girl. "You helped me find Lena and Pichu."

"Not exactly like that. I did that because it's the right thing to do."

"But Lena likes you, now! I like you, now!" Squishy couldn't understand the ordeal.

"Anyway, we still have time to make it for the Showcase!" informed Clemont. Everyone agreed as Ash recalled his Pokémon except for Pikachu before moving on. As they made their way to the arena, Lyn held Ash's hand as Lena had the other hand and Pikachu and Pichu on her shoulders. It's a good thing Serena didn't see the kisses from the dressing room. She'd be shocked.

* * *

END of ELECTRIC  
Next Up: FIGHTING

* * *

(1/3 of the way done for Volume VIII. Keep those votes coming!)


	5. Punchy Father

_Type: Fighting  
Shipping: PrimeapeShipping_

* * *

 _One-Shot 5: Punchy Father_

* * *

Rebecca and Primeape were jogging around the hills for training. "Like Father says, we've got another half-mile to go!" she urged. Primeape grunted to Rebecca's command, ready to push on. A little while later, they reached a tree with rope tied to the bark. "Now, Primeape, let's use that new move: Use Karate Chop!" Primeape swung a chop downward that struck the rope. The impact was powerful enough to knock branches from the tree. "That looks good!" That's when a flock of Spearow descended from the trees to Rebecca and Primeape. "Uh oh!" The two covered themselves for the flock to fly over. They also circled around. Rebecca had to make a move. "Knock 'em down with Thrash!" Primeape lunged at the flock with Thrash but the flock was a lot to overcome. "Too many!" The flock swooped in for another dive-bomb.

"Thunderbolt!" someone called out. A Pikachu leaped from out of nowhere and unleashed Thunderbolt, striking the Fowl Pokémon flock. Those not hit flew away. They didn't want any electrical attacks hitting them. Rebecca and Primeape turned around. They saw Ash, Brock, May, Max and Pikachu arriving. The braided ponytail brunette gasped to the sight.

"Ash! Brock!" The group arrived before Brock reached her, first.

"Rebecca, the gentle muscle of Fighting Pokémon is safe!" he swooned while clasping her hands. "I hope for your sake the firm build of a boyfriend is in your grasp!" Max had other ideas as he snatched Brock by the earlobe.

"Time for you to be in a Submission hold," he grunted as he pulled a paining Brock from sight. As Ash and May giggle at Brock's shtick once more, Primeape snatched Ash's cap.

"Hey!" he yelped. He turned to see Primeape wearing his cap before imitating a trainer throwing a Pokéball. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, Primeape?"

("Too long, Ash!") the Pig Monkey Pokémon snorted happily. To May, Ash and Primeape knew each other.

"Wait, you know this Primeape?" she questioned. Pikachu hopped down to see Primeape as well.

"I caught Primeape a long time ago after he enjoyed lunch with me, Brock and Misty," he recalled. "And he stole my hat before Charmander helped out." Max heard Ash's briefing as he returned from disciplining Brock. May brought out her PokéDex to scan Primeape.

"A Fighting Pokémon that knows style," he huffed. "That's rare."

"I know, and for some reason, he won't wear any of my father's training caps," Rebecca chuckled. "Anyway, Ash… thanks for saving us from the Spearow flock."

"Believe me, I hate to get Pecked on by a flock of those," Ash admitted. Primeape showed up on the screen on May's PokéDex.

"Primeape, the Pig Monkey Pokémon," it registered. "Primeape is the evolved form of Mankey. When angered, Primeape will not stop until the target is beaten to a pulp." May seemed humored to the description.

"For a Thrashing machine, Primeape is actually cute," she teased. "So, what's going on with you two?"

"Well, Primeape and I have been training for the new P1," Rebecca started. "After all, this is the reigning champion." The information gave May and Max awe.

"Primeape's a champion?" the little brother gasped. "That's so cool!" May had something else in mind.

"What's P1?" she asked. Ash recalled the event.

"The P1 Grand Prix is a Pokémon Tournament for Fighting Pokémon," he started. "There wasn't a big roster, though that may have been due to unknown Pokémon elsewhere, let alone Fighting Pokémon like Primeape or Combusken." May began to understand the P1 Tournament.

"My father's using his Hitmonchan in the upcoming P1 Grand Prix," Rebecca added. "And he wants me to participate with Primeape." Ash listened and came to his old Pokémon.

"Okay, I know what this calls for, right, Primeape?" The Pig Monkey Pokémon flexed its muscles. It then bumped Ash's fist with its own.

"You can tell the friendship between the two is as strong as ever," Max pointed out. Ash had another bright idea.

"Come on, May!" he cheered. "You and Combusken can join us!" May thought about the offer before shaking it off.

"Sorry, Ash!" she denied. "I'd rather see how you train before I enter the ring!" Ash shrugged before Brock returned and watched Ash and Rebecca train with Pikachu and Primeape with jogging at first.

"Talk about getting back to basics…" Brock assumed. "Ash must know what it's like to be with old friends."

"Well, after Bulbasaur and Charizard," May listed. "What's next?" Suddenly, someone dropped out of the trees. The muscled brunette man and his Boxing Pokémon faced Ash, Rebecca and the Pokémon.

"Well, my daughter's getting a warm visit from old friends," he sneered.

"Hey, Anthony!" greeted Ash.

"Long time, no see, Ash! Seems Primeape recognizes you despite the change in wardrobe." Ash laughed to the thought as Brock, May and Max arrived after hearing a noise.

"Anthony," Brock recognized. Anthony turned his head to see the future Pokémon Breeder.

"Nice to see you too, Brock. Your Geodude still willing to fight?"

"Actually, it's back in Pewter City with my siblings."

"I see…" Anthony turned back to Ash. "Now my boy… I'm gonna make you a deal." Ash seemed a little curious.

"What… kind of deal?" he asked.

"I'll challenge you with Primeape and my Hitmonchan. If you and Primeape beat me and Hitmonchan… you have my permission to date Rebecca." Gasps from the children and Pokémon exacerbated.

"Talk about a childish idea," May gulped.

"And he's suppose to be mature about it," Max mulled. Even Ash wasn't willing to go with the idea.

"I want to help Primeape in his training as defending P1 champion," he sighed. "But this idea of yours… It's stupid!"

("We hate this idea!") growled Pikachu. Brock agreed to Ash's complaint.

"A parent should use proper judgment in deciding who your child can or cannot have a relation with," he argued. "Using a Pokémon battle is one of the last things to use as a factor!" The siblings nodded with unsatisfied looks on their faces.

"Agreed…" they murmured. Anthony's idea had a backstory.

"Let me put it into context for a second on this decision," he started. "The Pokémon World's full of dangerous people who will not only abuse Pokémon, but also use it to attack people like Rebecca for no real reason. In a sense, I'd rather have someone who can utilize any Pokémon at their disposal, even wild ones." To Ash, it felt like an occupation given to him.

"What do I look like, a Pokémon Ranger?" he moaned.

"My daughter's the only one in my family that's left," Anthony continued. "A strong and reliable Pokémon Trainer is what I would like to have with her." Listening, Ash had doubts about Anthony's proposal.

"Look, I understand that you wanna look out for Rebecca… But it's still a stupid idea to have her as a trophy!" As he finished his rant, a tank had rolled in. All turned to the yellow tank had the heads and tail of a Girafarig with the Team Rocket emblem between the horns.

"Now, more often than not, we don't listen to what the twerp has to say," echoed James. "But if this is your idea of finding love, you're asking for trouble." The mouth opened to reveal Team Rocket.

"And you think the twerp deserves any of it, make it double!" added Jessie. Meowth blinked when he realized the ordeal.

"Wait a minute!" he gawked. "Youse guys are doing it backwards!" Jessie and James blinked to the ordeal as well.

"Meowth, that's not the issue at hand!" snapped Jessie. "Look, I know a thing or two about love but deciding one on a Pokémon battle… Surely, let your twerpette of a daughter choose for herself. It shouldn't need a Thunderbolt to get your attention." Hearing her rebuttal, the siblings showed stunned looks.

"How often do you hear us and Team Rocket agreeing on something?" questioned May.

"I know what you mean," Brock coughed. Jessie shook off the comment she made before facing the children.

"Anyway, to protect the world from devastation…" she resumed. James and Meowth were discussing quietly between each other. While it wasn't clear what was being said, Jessie knew well enough that the boys weren't paying attention. "Hey! The motto!" James and Meowth gasped before turning back to the kids. "Well, this was a disaster… Then again, acting more parental than muscled man over there…" Anthony steamed at the argument made.

"Maybe when you have children," he scowled. "You'll understand the tough choices I make on a daily basis!" Jessie wasn't concerned to Anthony's parenting.

"Me? Taking care of a twerp? Hardly…" With her eyes closed and head turned away, Ash decided to strike.

"Use Thrash, Primeape!" he commanded. Like ordered, Primeape lashed out, thrashing the tank apart. Within a minute, the tank became nothing more than scrap metal.

("How's that?") snorted Primeape as he returned to Ash's side.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Now Team Rocket realized they weren't going to escape unharmed.

"We're bickering and twerp's snickering!" gawked Meowth.

"That's one way to describe it: Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Pikachu unleashed Thunderbolt, striking the Rockets before the scrap metal exploded around them. The three flew skyward.

"It takes a moment of distraction for Primeape to go primal!" whined James.

"We keep going after da twerp in his prime!" cried Meowth.

"Maybe we shouldn't attack at Prime Time!" suggested a loud Jessie.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they cried as they left. The kids celebrated another victory. Before Ash could embrace his Pokémon, Rebecca hugged Ash tightly.

"Thank you, Ash!" she tearfully praised. "Thank you for protecting me and my father!" Brock and May gawked to the sight. Fortunately, she released and Anthony guided them back to their home. Rebecca made steak and potatoes dinner for everyone.

"Thanks for the food!" cheered the siblings. Everyone ate but Ash. He was feeding his Pokémon and Primeape.

"I can tell Rebecca takes good care of you, Primeape," Ash noticed.

("She's kind alright,") the Pig Monkey Pokémon agreed. After the Pokémon got their food, Rebecca emerged with a plate for Ash. Steamed veggies and a roll were added to his steak dinner.

"I hope you like it," she teased. "It's a little different from what I made everyone else." Ash eyed the food, eager to eat.

"Sorry," he chuckled. "I wanted to make sure they're fed. Primeape is someone that needs all the care necessary."

"Yes, I figured." Ash sat on the porch edge to eat. Before he held the fork, Rebecca's hands got him. Ash jumped, a little surprised. "What-"

"Ash, there's somethings I wanted to say." Ash just wanted to eat, but decided to listen first.

"Is something wrong?" The Pokémon stopped to see Rebecca's urge.

"You gave us Primeape to train more. He's learned so much with Mega Punch and Mega Kick… I'm blessed to have a Pokémon that understands how I feel at times… and seeing how you dismissed Team Rocket, I vow to keep the champion in the best shape possible… for my father and for myself." Ash sensed Rebecca has found her passion.

("She's a keeper,") Pikachu teased.

"I know you can do it when you put your mind to it," Ash assured as Brock and the siblings came to find him.

"My mind will be on it…" she accepted. "But my heart has a new place." She leaned in and gave Ash a kiss. Brock and May gawked to the kiss.

"No fair!" she roared.

"I'm the more capable of love than he is!" argued Brock. To Max, Ash needed the love.

"Believe me, you two," he sneered. "You guys didn't have a fighting chance." Ignoring, Rebecca's lips remained pressed to Ash's, not willing to part them while longing and passionately enjoying. Ash didn't need to battle for Rebecca's heart… nor will he since he won hers in Prime Time.

* * *

END of FIGHTING  
Next up: FAIRY

(Keep the votes coming and I'll see you in a couple of days with the new One-Shot.)


	6. Azumarill's Lament

_Type: Fairy  
Shipping: AzuDileShipping_

* * *

 _One-Shot 6: Azumarill's Lament_

* * *

"Use Bite, Totodile!" commanded Ash. Totodile scored a Bite attack on a Vileplume, the Flower Pokémon falling in defeat. "Yes!" Brock wove a hand to Ash's side while Misty, Pikachu and Togepi watched on.

"Vileplume is unable to battle!" he judged. "Totodile wins! The victory goes to Ash!" In celebration, Ash rushed to Totodile and hugged him.

"Totodile, you were great!" he cheered. Totodile wasn't in the mood to celebrate. He looked down at the ground, moping. Ash saw this, and it wasn't the first time. "Not again…" The brunette trainer recalled his Vileplume and joined in Totodile's aid.

"Totodile's still rather upset, even after the upset win," Misty noticed. "Getting shot down by Azumarill still bugs him." To Ash, it didn't make sense.

"I don't understand," he shrugged. "He still eats and still battles like normally…" The opposing trainer dug into his pocket.

"This usually brings a smile to my Pokémon," he offered. It was a packaged meat bun with some spices sprinkled.

"Gregg, I'm not sure," Misty doubted. "It's more of a personal issue than a hunger issue." Gregg studied it more before putting the meat bun away.

"You're probably right," he excused. "You'll be alright, Totodile. I'm gonna make sure my Vileplume'll be alright as well." The others nodded to let Gregg go on.

"This is a real problem that we need to figure out," Brock pointed out.

"Tell me about it," Ash agreed. "He's fine physically, but he's not as energetic: he doesn't dance when he's brought out of his Pokéball, he doesn't smile after a win, he even feels unsatisfied after you give him his favorite Pokémon food." That's when Brock had an idea.

"Allow me," he offered as he knelt to Totodile's level. "Now, Totodile… I understand what it's like to be dejected like with Azumarill. I'm sure, little buddy… a Pokémon with your personality is out there. Sure, they may throw you under the tree but I haven't given up and neither should you." Something Brock said made Totodile look worse than earlier. Pale with depression, Totodile found Ash's Lure Ball and entered on his own as Pikachu and Togepi watched on. Ash and Misty became upset.

"Way to go, Brock," Ash snarled.

"Yeah, great job as usual," Misty mocked with a mean look. Even Pikachu took it upon himself to punish Brock.

("Here's your payment!") he squeaked as he fired Thunderbolt, electrocuting the Pokémon Breeder. Togepi came to Totodile's Pokéball, worried about the Big Jaw Pokémon's emotion.

"We should leave Brock and get to a Pokémon Center," Ash suggested as he plucked his Pokéball.

"After that, I don't blame you or Pikachu," Misty agreed while hoisting her baby Pokémon. "I'm as worried about Totodile. I hate seeing him this sad constantly." They proceeded to a nearby Pokémon Center where they rested up for the night. They arrived at the next town entering the mid-morning. There, an Azumarill ran up to Ash after finding him and the group entering.

"An Azumarill?" he noticed. Azumarill reached for Ash's belt.

"It's gotta be Trixie's," Brock assumed. Before Ash could question…

"Hey!" shouted Trixie. Her Pidgey on her shoulder, the pair arrived to greet Ash and the rest.

"Trixie!" welcomed Misty. The redhead performer knelt to Azumarill, sensing what she wanted.

"So, that's it, huh?" The kids blinked to the communication.

("Can I see him?") the Aqua Rabbit Pokémon asked.

"Trixie, what's going on?" asked Ash. Trixie sighed before starting her explanation.

"I'm not sure what's going on," she shrugged. "All I know is that something happened between Azumarill and Golduck. They're, to put it lightly, not speaking to each other."

"Uh oh…" Brock gulped. Trixie nodded to the fear.

"I guess Golduck and Azumarill broke up?" wondered Misty. Azumarill whimpered to the guess.

"Yes," Trixie confirmed with a moan. "Now, Azumarill wants your energetic Totodile." To Ash, Azumarill may be the only hope for Totodile… but it felt like a long shot.

"I don't know," he muttered as he grabbed the Lure Ball. "It's just… Totodile's not been in the happiest of moods. See for yourself." He released Totodile who looked terrible. Trixie and Azumarill gasped to his condition as Totodile gawked to seeing his crush again.

("Hey, Totodile…") the Aqua Rabbit Pokémon greeted. Totodile turned away from Azumarill, remembering how she turned him down. Azumarill gasped to the sudden irk.

"This isn't going well," Misty muttered. Ash recalled another Pokémon that Totodile had gone after.

"What about the Quagsire that Totodile found afterward?" he wondered.

"Already taken," Brock murmured. "And it was watching over some Wooper offspring." Misty palmed her forehead as the other Pokémon tried to get Totodile's attention. Totodile wasn't listening to Pikachu, he wasn't hearing a tearful whimper from Togepi… and whatever Azumarill tried to say, the Big Jaw Pokémon snapped back and stepped away. Azumarill now had the same mood Totodile had the days before: sadness looming on her. Trixie knelt to Totodile to help understand the issue.

"Look, I know you're still upset with Azumarill over the last time," she tried to reason. "But Azumarill's suffering like you are right now. I want you and Azumarill to be happy about it." The trainers and Pokémon pondered about how to help someone who wasn't in the best mood.

"So now what?" shrugged Ash. "We can't force Totodile to like any of us." That's when a plume of smoke clouded over the rest. Everyone took cover while Ash realized who it was.

"Show yourself!" he demanded.

"Prepare for trouble, the love game you have is all wet!" started Jessie as the smoke started to dissipate.

"Make it double, we found ourselves with the perfect set!" added James as they emerged from the smoke.

"To protect the world from devastation…"

"To unite all people's within our nation…"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love…"

"To extend our reach to the stars above…"

"Jessie!"

"And James!" When the smoke evaporated, the kids were fenced in… literally. With the houses by, the five-foot fences closed any revenue for the kids to work.

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"And with youse twerps and twerpettes gated, dat fight won't last long!" cackled Meowth as he brought out a bazooka. However, his target wasn't Pikachu, but Azumarill. Watching, Totodile spotted the bazooka's aim and raced in. A roped missile shot out of the bazooka but the Big Jaw Pokémon fired Water Gun before the missile could reach and found the fence. A blast of electricity connected back to the balloon and zapped Team Rocket. The electrocuting stunned the trio as Brock studied the fence's trap.

"Guys, it's an electric fence!" he alerted. Azumarill awed Totodile's protection as he retreated to guard her.

("Stand back!") he ordered.

("O-Okay…") gulped Azumarill. Team Rocket looked a little shocked.

"Didn't you say the balloon wouldn't conduct electricity?" stuttered Jessie.

"We had a bad connection…" murmured Meowth.

"You told us to wrap the outside with rubber tape, not inside…" James reminded. The trio shook off the shock and prepared to strike back.

"Alright, no more miss nice guy!" scowled Jessie as she threw her Pokéball. "Arbok, let's go!"

"You too, Victreebel!" joined James. Arbok and Victreebel emerged but the Flytrap Pokémon bit back at his head. "I don't have a Beedrill on my head! Cut it out!" Jessie initiated the battle.

"Arbok, Wrap up Azumarill!" she commanded. Arbok flew above Totodile, completely forgetting about Pikachu and Ash saw his partner in perfect position.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" he ordered.

("Got it!") squeaked Pikachu. In a flash, Pikachu bashed and shot Arbok back to Jessie, falling just short. It struggled to raise its head.

"Use your Vine Whip, Victreebel!" optioned James. Victreebel flung its Vine Whip to Azumarill. Again, Ash's Pokémon couldn't be placed any better as Totodile used Bite, intercepting the Vine Whip. Victreebel screeched in pain. Totodile turned the Vine Whip… and Victreebel into a lasso, spinning the Flytrap Pokémon around and around before releasing it at and smashing into James and to the electric fence. The two got another dose of shock.

"Great work, Totodile!" praised Ash. Not being left out, Trixie wanted to join.

"Now, Azumarill!" she voiced. "Use Water Gun!" Azumarill squared herself before shooting out Water Gun at Arbok. Out of nowhere, Wobbufett emerged and used Mirror Coat, sending the attack back and striking the Aqua Rabbit Pokémon. Trixie didn't see the Patient Pokémon come out and feared the attack hurt her Pokémon. "Azumarill!" To Jessie, it was prime for the picking.

"Arbok, use Poison Sting!" she ordered. Arbok spat volleys of Poison Sting at a reeling Azumarill. Totodile got in front of the attack, stabbed repeated with Poison Sting. Azumarill gasped at her protector taking the vicious assault.

"Totodile!" cried Ash. Totodile collapsed to his paws with discoloration. Misty noticed the change.

"Totodile's poisoned!" she alerted. Azumarill came to Totodile's aid as he suffered from the effects. Trixie became mad.

"You do that to a Pokémon in love!?" she snapped. "Then you'll pay! Azumarill, use Blizzard!" Azumarill blew snow and ice at blasting speed. It froze Team Rocket in their place after James and Victreebel reunited.

"Dat was a bit on da cold side!" punned Meowth. Despite the poison, Totodile stood. Ash decided to strike.

"Totodile!" commanded Ash.

"Azumarill!" shouted Trixie.

"Water Gun!" they called out. Azumarill and Totodile shot Water Gun attacks, shooting them back into the fence. After the slam, Ash's Pokémon collapsed. Azumarill knelt to help Totodile while Team Rocket wondered about something off.

"Wait, where's the zapping?" asked Jessie.

("Right here!") growled Pikachu. The three turned to the Electric Pokémon sparking up more than ever. The tail absorbed the electricity. Team Rocket gasped in fear.

"We're in for a storm!" cried Meowth.

"Pikachu, finish it off with Thunder!" he called out. Pikachu unleashed a powerful Thunder attack, smashing on Team Rocket. After the electrocution, a blast ruptured underneath them where they flew to the sky.

"We had the perfect trap and they turned it on us!" whined Jessie.

"It was quite the shock to see Pikachu absorb all that electricity," James pointed out.

"Talk about paying the electric bill in spades," Meowth groaned.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting of agaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnn!" they cried as they flew to the clouds. Azumarill caught Totodile as he was drained of energy. Brock summoned Geodude to rid the fence's wires. Brock checked on Totodile by feeling the snout.

"He's been badly poisoned," he warned. "We need to get to a Pokémon Center on the double!" Trixie nodded and knew where to go.

"I was just there when Azumarill had the issues with Golduck!" she advised. "Come on!" Ash carried Totodile in his arms as they raced to the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy quickly administered treatment as Azumarill hoped for Totodile to be okay. After an hour, Joy and Chansey wheeled Totodile back out.

"Good news for Totodile," she started. "He's back to full health."

"That's great, Nurse Joy!" cheered Misty. Totodile hopped off and spotted Azumarill approaching.

("Are you okay?") she squeaked.

("I am, but what about you?") asked Totodile.

("Worried.") The brief word made Totodile gasp a little. ("I'm sorry for putting you through that… and thank you.") To Totodile, Team Rocket did a cowardly attack.

("It was unfair for them to attack you. I couldn't let that go free. You weren't battling.") Trixie knelt to the two Pokémon, petting the snout of Totodile.

"That was an unselfish thing you did, Totodile," she praised. "And Azumarill had a falling out with Golduck. She thought about you for a long time." Proving the case, Azumarill kissed Totodile on the lips. This made Totodile blush heavily as he began dancing around again. To everyone, Totodile was in great health overall.

"Looks like Totodile's back to normal!" laughed Misty.

"That's for sure!" agreed Ash. That's when Trixie had a move of her own as she came to Totodile's owner.

"Ash, maybe there's something that connects our Pokémon," she pointed out. "What you did to train Totodile is a miracle. Your Pokémon don't quit when they're up to the task." Ash laughed to the compliment.

"Well, I do what I can for my Pokémon," he admitted.

"And I'd say since my Azumarill and your Totodile are now a couple, there's two more things that can come together." Ash blinked before turning to Trixie.

"What would those be?" Instead of answering with words, Trixie leaned in and gave Ash a kiss to the lips. Her head softly removed his cap and Pidgey decided to perch itself into his wild hair. Misty and Brock gasped to Trixie's embrace to Ash as she held the kiss for a long time.

"We've been tricked!" she snapped. "It was a ruse!"

"No, but it doesn't matter…" mulled Brock. "It hurts my heart! I'm the one in need of love!" It was a lot for Totodile to overcome his suffering, but Azumarill showed that pain can be healed with someone else. Misery does love company… if only Brock could not act miserable.

* * *

END of FAIRY  
Next up: NORMAL

(Yes, there was a tie for Normal and Poison, but Normal hasn't been done for sometime and I thought it needed to be re-recognized once again. I've refreshed the poll so continue your voting and I'll have the next one-shot up before you know it.)


	7. Camouflage-mas

_Type: Normal  
Shippings: KecRichShippings_

* * *

 _One-Shot 7: Camouflage-mas_

* * *

A big celebration was taking place… and Ash, Misty and Brock scored some incredible tickets. They received an envelop with three tickets inside.

DECEMBER 20th,

BOARD THE BLUE MAY FOR A RED & GREEN CELEBRATION WITH MADISON & ALEXA. SPECIAL GUEST TO ARRIVE FOR THE FESTIVITIES.

The trainers gasped to the opportunity. "At last!" shouted Brock. "Alexa and Madison's acknowledged their love to me!" Ash, Misty and their Pokémon sighed, not sure how to take the reaction.

"You mean _over_ reaction, right?" questioned Misty.

("So much for the fourth wall,") Pikachu mulled.

"So why would we receive invites to the Blue May with the rich sisters?" asked Ash. Brock became elated and packed the kitchen utensils.

"I'm not gonna ask!" he irked. "I'd say, we bundle up and head there immediately!" After packing up and purchasing coats for them, Pikachu and Togepi, the group headed to the nearby city where they viewed the blimp inflated and ready to take off. Ash and his friends presented the tickets. The man standing by the door examined the tickets and nodded.

"They're good to go," he insisted. "Make sure to hang your coats up as Madison and Alexa have holiday jackets inside for you and your Pokémon." They boarded the blimp and headed to the dressing room. Ash and Brock wore green light jackets while Misty wore red. Pikachu and Togepi had silver jackets their sizes.

"I'm sorry, but red's definitely not my color," Misty moaned.

"Misty, the primary colors of Christmas _are_ red and green," Brock pointed out.

"I know, but when I think of red, I think of Fire Pokémon like Cyndaquil and Charizard." To Ash, she disregarded her own person.

"I thought you'd be fine with red," he pointed out. "After all, it does match your hair and shoes." Misty flustered a sigh to Ash's point.

"I guess there's that," she muttered. The anchors had been removed and the blimp took to the sky with other trainers on board. The young girls who attended grew fond of Togepi.

"Can I hold him?" one girl asked. "Can I? Please!?" Not willing to disappoint, Misty allowed the girl to hold her Spike Ball Pokémon.

"Sure thing!" she surrendered. The girl cooed to Togepi who enjoyed the attention.

"You're so cute, Togepi," she whispered.

("Thank you!") he chirped. Madison and Alexa saw a packed crowd from the front of the room. Their Kecleon, Reddy and Greeny, emerged after they took off their camouflage and found Pikachu.

("There's our friend!") croaked Greeny.

("Let's go see!") suggested Reddy. Both dashed to see Pikachu who was with Ash outside on the balcony overlooking the city below. In Ash's hand was a cup of hot cocoa. Pikachu saw the two Kecleon and waived them over.

("How are you two doing?") he asked.

("Great!") the two replied. Seeing Ash out of the crowd in more ways than one, Madison and Alexa wondered what to do.

"Sis, you go to him, first," Madison suggested.

"Okay!" accepted Alexa. Her stilettos clapping the floor, she made her way to the balcony and confronted one of the trainers who acquitted their Pokémon. "You know there are no hats in the party, right?" Ash turned to Alexa with a reason.

"I can't let this out of my sight, even with my coat," he explained. "I worked too hard to let it go." Alexa laughed before she removed his cap. "Hey!" Alexa palmed his shoulder while Greeny reached its trainer's side.

"We'll make sure it's safe. By the way, you have other Pokémon, right?"

"I do, but I don't wanna overload the blimp and weigh it down. Brock could understand, he's got an Onix."

"True, but the Pokémon you have shouldn't be a problem." Giving in, Ash released Totodile, Cyndaquil, Bulbasaur and Noctowl. Alexa became fascinated with the Big Jaw Pokémon dancing.

"A lively Totodile." The hoisted Pokémon gawked but awed the young woman's sweet voice. "You're not necessarily a crowd person, I'm understanding." Ash flustered a sigh, his cold breath appearing.

"I'm lucky if I can hold a conversation with Misty or Brock. Then again, I'd rather be with Pokémon than people."

"And why's that?" Lifting his head, Ash thought about it. Before he could answer, Madison joined her sister and the young trainer from Pallet Town.

"I guess one reason is embarrassment from those two," she replied as she and Reddy arrived. Looking back, Misty was pulling Brock away as usual by the earlobe. "That Pokémon Breeder-in-Training needs to be people-trained. I wanna believe he's been living under a rock before he met Ash." Her nag made Ash shake his head.

"That's not as Farfetch'd as you'd think," he punned.

("And with Rock Pokémon to boot,") Pikachu added. Madison placed a hand on Ash's shoulder to where Ash looked up.

"Anyway, Alexa and I couldn't be more glad you came and helped acquit Reddy and Greeny from prosecution," she praised. Ash offered a smile to the two.

"Anything for your Kecleon," he accepted.

"And anything for… this," Alexa teased before she and Madison kissed Ash on the cheeks. Ash's face became red like the dresses the hosts wore… and the new arrival.

"Ho ho ho!" laughed Santa. "Don't you need some Mistletoe for that!?" The joke had Ash and the sisters turned to find Santa and his sleigh pulled by his many Stantler.

"Santa Claus!?" gasped Ash.

"Hey, you finally made it!" cheered Madison.

"Let me get the platform ready!" spoke Alexa. To Ash, this was the special guest.

"YOU invited Santa!?" he and Pikachu gasped.

"It wouldn't be Christmas without Santa," Madison sneered.

("Definitely the case,") Greeny agreed. Alexa hit a button that extended a platform for the Stantler to land. Once boarded, Santa and a Jynx exited.

"It's been awhile, Santa," Ash greeted with a smile.

"Ash, my boy," Santa laughed. "I had a feeling you'd show up." Madison and Alexa gawked at how Ash knew Santa, and Pikachu since the Jolly One petted him with joy.

"Wait a minute," voiced Alexa. "Are you telling me that you and Santa are friends?"

"Ho ho ho, we sure are!" confirmed Santa.

"My friends and I returned this Jynx that got separated from the rest of his little helpers," Ash explained. "The trip to the North Pole was exhausting, and I had a chance to drag the raft we were on before a Lapras sensed our mission and escorted us there. North Pole isn't a vacation spot unless you prefer to be a popsicle."

"I can imagine," Alexa giggled.

"Of course, Team Rocket tried to destroy Christmas but we stopped them."

"Needless to say, they make up a huge portion of my Naughty List," Santa scowled.

"Luckily, Team Rocket won't be a bother since the only way to get in is through the air," Madison advised.

"Let's hope that it stays that way," Santa warned as he dug into his sack. Eager to see, Togepi reached the balcony and shrilled to Santa. "Ho ho ho! Someone's the eager Pokémon." Misty also reached the balcony.

"Togepi!" she cried out. Arriving, she also met Santa. "Oh my gosh! Santa Claus?"

"Hello, Misty. Still keeping Brock single?" Called out, Misty shuttered in guilt.

"It's more of him making himself an embarrassment, Santa."

"Is that so? Well, luckily for you and everyone inside, I bring gifts to all, including the Pokémon." Alexa finished feeding the Stantler before everyone walked in to find the youngsters surround Kris Kringle. Brock also became part of the fun. "Settle down, children." With Brock's help, the boys and girls filed into a line where Santa heard their wishes. Jynx dug into the sack and gave each a gift. Brock wished for a young woman but Santa laughed hard to it.

"There are some wishes he can't grant," Madison giggled. Brock did get a gift from Jynx.

"Well, better than nothing, I suppose," he sighed. After the kids and Pokémon had their presents, Santa had a few more presents to hand out, mainly to Ash, Madison and Alexa and their Pokémon.

"Here you go, and the rest will come Christmas morning," Santa promised.

"We can't wait," snickered Ash.

"Believe me, you'll be happy to see what I bring for you and Pikachu." Gifts handed out, Santa and Jynx boarded the sleigh and the Stantler began to fly. Santa gave his last shoutout. "Ho ho ho…! Merry Christmas to all, and to all… a goodnight!" With the Stantler pulling his sleigh, Santa and Jynx flew to the sky and near Team Rocket who seemed to have found the sleigh. Their Meowth Balloon flew by Santa's sleigh.

"Hold the phone, Big Red!" shouted Jessie. "I know you still have our gifts!"

"Hand them over or prepare for trouble!" ordered James.

"If youse tink we're bad now, make it double!" added Meowth.

"Team Rocket, I haven't forgotten you!" promised Santa as Jynx gave the fat man a gift. Santa tossed it to them. "Catch!" Complying, Jessie did and immediately unwrapped the gift. It was a bomb… and the fuse was already at the end and they screamed. An explosion ruptured in the basket which created a splash of glue that weighed the balloon down and left Team Rocket stuck.

"Looks like Team Rocket's in a sticky situation!" they cried. While Team Rocket had to unglue themselves, the rest on the blimp unwrapped their presents and uncovered toys and tools for themselves. Misty had a new fishing lure as a Corsola. Brock had new kitchenware: pans, pots and silverware. The Pokémon got some rich Pokémon food they couldn't wait to scarf on. Ash didn't open his.

"Waiting for Christmas to pop that open?" teased Alexa.

"Yeah, I'm not gonna spoil myself tonight," Ash nodded.

"Well, we feel like spoiling you instead," Madison sneered. Ash blinked before looking up. Above him was Mistletoe.

"Uh… oh…"

"Yep, you know what's coming," Alexa sneered before kissing Ash on the lips. After a little while, Madison and Alexa switched roles as the sister had a turn on Ash with his lips. While everyone got gifts, the hosts gave one guest the ultimate Christmas present. Poor Misty and Brock… They're busy playing with the kids to know Ash was getting something rich.

* * *

END of NORMAL  
Next up: BUG

(There is a 3-way tie but I have an idea with Bug so prepare yourself, evil-doers!)


	8. Red Lightning Rescue

Type: Bug  
Shipping: RedLightningShipping

* * *

One-Shot 8: Red Lightning Rescue

* * *

The moonlight shone over a worried Celadon City. A Pokémon cloaked in red soared over the skyscrapers on the hunt. Apparently, it wasn't alone. A Sceptile wearing hi-tech headgear and green cloak reached the red cloak. Lastly was a ninja in blue with a Pikachu. They searched from the new rooftop. "We're set up here," whispered Ash.

"Thank you for helping us with this crisis, Ash," the butler praised over an earpiece. "Mistress Luna was my responsibility and I failed to uphold her safety. No question those brutes will want Scizor for themselves."

"Won't happen on my watch." Ash followed Scizor on their way to solving the crisis. They stopped by a warehouse. "Looks like this is it."

("Master's inside for sure,") Scizor buzzed.

("Are you sure?") asked Pikachu. Scizor scowled to the situation.

("We can't rush in hastily,") hissed Sceptile. ("Amigo, what-") Before the Forest Pokémon could finish his question, Scizor flew off to the rooftop of the warehouse. Sceptile didn't approve of Scizor's action. ("The fool!") Sceptile pursued Scizor while Ash groaned to the falling team chemistry.

"If only Luna wasn't abducted…" he sighed. Thinking back, he groaned to accepting this task.

* * *

 _(Flashback)_

 _On their way through Kanto, Ash, May, Max and Brock, along with their Pokémon friends continued their adventure. They stopped by the Pokémon Center when the cloaked Scizor entered through the sliding doors. The trainers gasped in fear of the cloaked Scizor. "It's Red Lightning!" one trainer shrieked._

" _What's Red Lightning doing here!?" another trainer wondered. Scizor confronted Ash's group, knowing them too well._

" _Okay, Luna," Ash scoffed. "If you wanted to challenge me-" Scizor handed Ash a DVD in a case. This befuddled the Pallet Town trainer._

" _Is something on the DVD you want us to see?" guessed Max._

 _("An emergency,") Scizor briefed. Ash felt something not right. He loaded the DVD into a disc tray where Luna's butler emerged._

" _Ash, if you're seeing this, Luna's Scizor has located you," he whimpered. "A pair of goons from Team Rocket has kidnapped Luna!" Ash seethed to the news._

" _What!?" he snapped._

" _They demand Red Lightning to battle them and reveal its true identity. I know there's a lot to discuss but if I give them Red Lightning, I fear they won't follow through on their promise!" The group now had a dilemma on hand._

" _Looks like we'll need to go and rescue Luna," instructed Brock._

" _Wait a second," Max halted. "If we all go, that could be bad news." No one wanted to let Luna get hurt. They had to find a way to get Luna out of Team Rocket's clutches._

" _He's right," Brock agreed. "If we all go, the rescue will be a bust." Scizor turned to Ash, its pincer on his shoulder._

" _I… gotta be…" he stuttered. To the rest, Ash needed to be prepared._

" _Let's get you an outfit to prepare," May suggested. Ash gulped to what she had in mind._

* * *

Reaching the warehouse, Ash and the Pokémon viewed the inside of the warehouse from the rooftop above. Inside, he spotted Luna with Cassidy and Butch and cringed. "Cassidy and Butch…" he named. "And Doctor Namba is probably behind it all."

("Let's surprise them!") suggested Scizor. Pikachu agreed to the plan. Inside, Cassidy and Butch grew impatient to the absence of Red Lightning.

"Her parents must not care about their little twerpette," Cassidy growled. Luna's screams were muffled with the white handkerchief around her mouth.

"Even Lassie and Blames can't be that patient," Butch mocked. Cassidy cackled at the new names.

"Lassie!? Oh my goodness! She needs to be treated like a Growlithe at times!" She acted like a pet owner. "Here, Lassie! Here, girl! This cracks me up! Not even Doctor Mamba has a nickname like that!" The cellphone rang and Cassidy answered. "What is-"

"It's Namba!" shouted Doctor Namba. Cassidy closed her phone. Around some crates, Ash and Pikachu peered to see Luna.

"There she is, and those two are in for a surprise," he sneered.

("Scizor and Sceptile are set,") Pikachu reported.

"Then we're set as well." They hid before climbing to the top as Butch leaned to and cupped Luna by her chin.

"Looks like your Red Lightning is more yellow than anything," he mocked. Ash and Pikachu reached the top of the crates to make their entrance.

"The only yellow I see…" he snapped. Cassidy and Butch turned to the voice. "Are those who take children for their cowardice!" His evil-looking eyes stared down the two. "I guess Doctor Namba is after Red Lightning for Team Rocket research? Cassidy… and Butch?" The two Rockets snarled to the blue boy's appearance.

"Now is the time Panda called to teach-" started Cassidy. She got interrupted by her phone again. "About time. I wanted to-"

"It's still Namba!" shouted Namba again. Cassidy tossed the phone to Butch as she focused back on Ash.

"Anyway, it's time you prepare for trouble," she argued.

"Something we can agree on," spoke May. Scizor lip-synced with May over the headset. Cassidy, Butch and Luna gasped to Scizor's speaking. "After all, there's more than Red Lightning you need to worry about."

"Indeed, like you ruining the motto of Team Rocket, ready to infect the world with devastation," Butch proclaimed. Cassidy gawked to Butch's statement.

"That's my line, Botch!" she snapped.

"IT'S BUTCH!" yelled Butch. "REPEAT AFTER ME! BUTCH!" Instead, Cassidy turned to Ash, but he and Scizor vanished.

"Where'd they go?" she gasped. Ash had a command ready.

"Yellow Thunder, use Thunderbolt!" he shouted.

("Let it rip!") shouted Pikachu before releasing Thunderbolt. The attack nailed both Rockets. Ash reappeared.

"Now, release Luna or Blue Thunder will make sure you pay," he demanded. Cassidy and Butch blinked to Ash's new name.

"Blue Thunder?" repeated Butch. "Even that sounds more ridiculous than anything you've done to us."

"And besides, we're not handing over the twerpette so easily," Cassidy scowled. Ash sighed to the refusal.

"I tried to save you some pain," he advised.

"Pain? From what?" His finger sticking out to Cassidy, Ash gave a command.

"Red Lightning, use Swift!" Scizor flew from above and stared down Cassidy and Butch.

"Swift attack!" shouted May as Swift fired onto the Rockets. Some of the stars tagged the two as they covered up from the strikes. Pikachu returned to Ash's side.

"Green Lightning, use Leaf Blade!" he ordered. Sceptile sprinted pass Ash and to Cassidy with green glowing blades. Sceptile knew what to do thanks to Ash. _"If I know Jessie and Cassidy, they like their hair. Just trim it enough to get her riled up."_ The Forest Pokémon sped passed Cassidy before stopping behind her. Cassidy wondered if Ash tried to scare her.

"I thought you were a little more malicious than-" she froze when she heard a rustle below her. Looking down, a lot of her hair was chopped off. It happened so fast, the cut took a little time to occur. No longer did she have those tails, and Butch gawked to the act.

"This can't be good," he gulped. That's when Cassidy released a blood-curdling scream that shook the warehouse and even got to May, Max and Brock who waited outside. They covered their ears from the painful scream.

"Ash really did it, now!" yelled Max. Jessie, James and Meowth also shielded their ears from another rooftop. After a minute of high-pitched screaming, Cassidy's eyes refocused on Ash with labored breathing and those eyes being red.

"You have crossed the line, twerp!" she snarled.

"You, first," he calmly retorted. He turned to Butch with a nod. "Butch, this could get ugly…" Instead of getting into a Pokémon Battle, Cassidy raced after Ash.

"You're gonna pay!" To Ash, she's wide open.

"Yellow Thunder, Volt Tackle!" Pikachu zipped ahead to where he became a running yellow comet to where he smashed into Cassidy at full blast. The impact launched her into Butch and both flew into the crates as the wooden boxes then collapsed on top of them. The two were unconscious and in a mess of twisted wood. "It's over…" Scizor came over and sliced off the restraints holding Luna. She freed the handkerchief from her face. Finally released, Luna rushed to Ash and embraced him in a hug.

"My hero!" she cheered. Above, Jessie, James and Meowth sighed in relief about the ordeal.

"It's about time that pampered Cassidy got her ears lowered," Jessie sneered. "Serves her right to mess with the boss and our organization's morale."

"Exactly… how, Jessie?" questioned James.

"Even I'm lost about dat," Meowth mewed. Jessie smiled to her own words.

"See, Cassidy and Biff have been beaten down by that twerp," she started. "And with those two soon to be in police custody, they'll be removed from Team Rocket and we'll be the head honchos from here on out!" Her laughter made the boys gawk in sweat.

"Delusion knows no boundaries," James gulped.

"Dat's… for sure," Meowth agreed. Police arrived and Officer Jenny had the means of arresting Cassidy and Butch.

"Team Rocket, you are under arrest for kidnapping and assaulting a Pokémon Trainer," she judged as Ash walked out with Luna and police escort, their Pokémon steadfast by their side as they reunited with Brock and the siblings.

"Ash, that may have been too much," murmured Brock.

"Yeah, I don't mind giving Team Rocket a lesson or two," May shrugged. "But even then, you don't nail someone like that with everything but the kitchen sink!"

"Look, if it means dismantling Team Rocket little by little," Ash argued. "I'm not gonna hesitate. They go after Luna like that, no one's safe." Max believed Ash because of the incident with Luna and Team Rocket.

"No argument with me, Blue Thunder," he teased. Ash chuckled to the tease. Back at Luna's home, there was a headline about Cassidy and Butch.

RED LIGHTNING STRIKES KIDNAPPERS, SAVE HOSTAGE

That made even Pikachu smile. ("Scizor's a hero now!") he squeaked.

"That should give Red Lightning a new reputation for Luna to adopt," Brock noted. Looking to her, Max chuckled to a new sight.

"Speaking of adopting something…" he hinted. May and Brock turned to see Luna locking lips with Ash. The rich girl couldn't hold back as she expressed her newfound love for Ash. Pikachu and Scizor watched in dismay.

"I lived out being a damsel-in-distress," she cheered as she took a break. "And now, I'm feeling like a princess falling for the knight in shining armor!" Ash giggled while looking a bit worn out from her barrage of kisses. His face was painted by the lipstick she wore.

"Luna, I wore a jumpsuit," he corrected. "Not armor."

"Like what you wore matters…" Ash barely caught a breath of air from Luna's snark reply before she resumed her kissing barrage. The rest nervously laughed. For Cassidy and Butch, a lifetime in jail would be better than facing Ash in the eye of his storm.

* * *

END of BUG  
Next up: DARK

(After the next chapter, the polls will be reset for the last time. Get those votes in as we close in on Christmas and the end of 2018)


	9. Lest Be Judged

_Type: Dark  
Shipping: JumpJudgeShipping_

* * *

 _One-Shot 9: Lest Be Judged_

* * *

At the Pokémon gym in Anistar City, Olympia's apprentices surrounded the Gym Leader and Carrie. It wasn't long ago that Olympia received a vision about a crisis happening in Kalos. Without hesitation and concern after seeing Ash, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie, Carrie's actions took her to finding the heroes visiting the city and attacking them. After losing two of her Pokémon to Ash in a battle, Carrie was stopped by Charlene. What Carrie assumed was the threat to Kalos was actually those who would be in the crisis. "Carrie, I have an assignment for you if you wish to remain as an apprentice," she instructed. "Go find Ash and learn what it means to be vigilant. I know of the problems you endure on yourself."

"But Miss Olympia!" snapped Carrie.

"Did you not pass judgment after you witnessed my vision?" Recalling the incident, Carrie was full of guilt.

"I-I did…"

"You should know that rushing to judgment has to end, Carrie," Charlene reminded. Carrie received the hint.

"Very well," she submitted. "What is it I should do, Lady Olympia?" The request gave Olympia a minute to organize.

"As I've stated, your assignment is to find and journey with Ash," she repeated. "You need to make changes about your personality of quick judgments. There's a saying that holds common sense: Never judge a book by its cover." Carrie bowed, acknowledging her duty.

"As you command." she accepted. Olympia focused on the path Carrie had to follow.

"Ash and company seem to have a new companion on hand. They're on their way to Snowbelle City. Catching up to them shouldn't be difficult." Carrie's quest began. In a few days, she finally spotted Ash and the gang. Bonnie had a green slug in her lap as Serena cooked, Clemont fixed an invention and Ash was working with his Pokémon.

"Noibat, use Acrobatics!" he commanded. Noibat zipped around the air with a blue veil.

("Not bat, Noibat!") squeaked Pikachu. Noibat laughed before noticing someone nearby. He flew to where Carrie stood. Everyone saw Noibat's strange behavior.

"Noibat?" called Bonnie. Ash followed Noibat while Pikachu returned to Serena, a little hungry.

"You gotta wait a little longer," she teased. Pikachu's whimper told Serena to forgive him. She petted Pikachu before returning to cook. Ash found Carrie and wondered the ordeal.

"Hey, you're one of Olympia's followers," he recognized. Carrie nodded to the claim.

"Olympia actually wanted me to follow you for awhile," she confessed. "She wanted me to learn about proper judgment from you." Ash recalled her meeting back in Anistar City. "I also wanted to apologize for my reaction on you. I still felt that I was stopping the supposed threat without knowing Lady Olympia's meaning." Ash didn't mind the reason.

"I'm sure you're hungry after coming to find us." With that, Ash and Carrie returned to the group where they became a little suspicious.

"Carrie?" gawked Clemont.

"What's she doing here!?" gasped Serena.

"To apologize for my behavior," Carrie replied. Bonnie huffed a slight giggle.

"That was easy," she joked. The green slug garbled something that Dedenne couldn't understand. Carrie saw the slug and approached.

"Who's that Pokémon?" she asked.

"It doesn't appear on our PokéDex," Ash briefed. "It's a new Pokémon, that's for sure."

"Weird…" Carrie reached to touch the slug but it hissed at her, forcing Carrie's hand back. Bonnie saw the snap and looked to the slug.

"Squishy, that was rude!" she scorned. "She's just checking you out." Squishy garbled, wondering what it did wrong. Carrie's personality rose up once again.

' _Could this Pokémon be the source of Lady Olympia's vision?'_ she minded. _'Furthermore, it gets along with this girl but not me on first sight. Is it my punishment?'_ Bonnie had Squishy settled down before turning back to Carrie.

"So, what are you doing here and not with-" A thought in the sister of the Lumiose Gym Leader emerged, forcing her to glee. "I knew it! You can't stay away from Clemont!" Carrie wasn't expecting that answer.

"Wait… what?" On her knee, Bonnie proposed. Squishy leaped from Bonnie to watch.

"I want you to take care of my brother!"

("Would you, please?") added Dedenne. Carrie's face became red when Serena came by.

"You've gotta stop embarrassing Clemont like this!" she yelled. Bonnie looked to Serena with some concern.

"What!?" she shrugged. "I'm helping him with options!" Serena hoisted Bonnie by the shirt and dragged her away.

"We're having a girl-on-girl discussion!" she scowled as they journeyed away from the site.

"Wait, that's my job!" claimed Clemont.

"If she's not listening to you, I'm gonna try!" shouted Serena. Ash, Carrie and Clemont watch on in confusion.

"Your little sister… is scary," Carrie muttered. Squishy decided to squirm away, Pikachu staying close. Watching, the remaining were curious.

"Where's Squishy going?" questioned Ash.

"I'm not sure," Clemont shrugged. They followed Squishy before they spotted some interesting activity. Two women in skimpy reddish-orange outfits were searching around.

"Those two look rather suspicious," Carrie whispered as Clemont gathered Squishy.

"Carrie, let's not jump to conclusions," he warned. "Though, I will agree that those two don't look friendly, despite the cool headgear they're wearing." Carrie sighed, thinking Olympia's assignment to her was a waste.

"I came here to be a better judge of character from Lady Olympia's teaching. I find out you guys are no different." Ash looked to Carrie with a pat to the back.

"Look, it happens to all of us," he committed. "We get defensive around new people we see for the first time. Don't feel that you're alone." Carrie smiled, thankful for Ash's explanation.

"I see…" she huffed. "Sorry for making me think I'm wasting your time."

("Hey, we Pokémon do it, too,") Pikachu admitted. Carrie petted Pikachu, easing more about the subject. The two women heard Pikachu and decided to attack.

"We got company!" the green-haired alerted. "Liepard, use Dark Pulse!" She threw a Pokéball and released Liepard who fired Dark Pulse. Ash, Clemont and Carrie scattered away from the attack and chose to launch a counterattack.

"Hawlucha, I choose you!" summoned Ash as he threw a Pokéball. Out emerged his Wrestling Pokémon who posed. "Use Karate Chop!" Hawlucha flew at Liepard and scored a Karate Chop to the snout. The purple-haired woman decided to strike back.

"Drapion, use Cross Poison!" she shouted as she brought out her Ogre Scorpion Pokémon who then launched Cross Poison. Carrie took action.

"Sableye, we're fighting with Shadow Claw!" she commanded. Releasing her Darkness Pokémon, Sableye flew forward and slashed the Cross Poison out, saving Hawlucha.

("Gracias,") Hawlucha praised.

("Don't lose sight!") warned Sableye. The purple-haired spotted Squishy in Clemont's arms.

"There it is!" she advised. "Z1!" Carrie and the boys blinked to what she named Squishy.

"Z1?" repeated Ash.

"You will give us Z1 if you want your Pokémon spared," the green-haired demanded. To Carrie, her suspicion had been confirmed.

"While I have no idea why you need Squishy… or Z1 as you call it," she voiced. "We're not handing it over to you! Sableye, Power Gem!" Sableye launched a beam at Liepard who didn't move. It took the beam and was knocked out. Drapion was still active.

"Use Toxic!" the purple-haired ordered. Drapion spat a Toxic shot, Hawlucha and Sableye dodging the attack which now came at Carrie. Ash saw and tackled Carrie clear. Clemont gawked to the move.

"Ash!" he gasped. "Carrie!" Ash and Carrie soon got up.

"You good?" he asked.

"I am…" she replied. Back up, they faced the purple-haired. She wasn't afraid of the two.

"So, you still won't relinquish Z1?" she argued. "You won't be able to protect Z1 if I have anything to-"

"Use Power Gem!" called out Carrie. Sableye fired another round of Power Gem attacks, repeatedly taking damage as the green-haired palmed the purple-haired.

"Celosia, we'll get Z1 again!" she pleaded. With Celosia distracted as she turned to the green-haired, Ash had an opening.

"Hawlucha, Flying Press!" he commanded. Hawlucha flew high before dive-bombing and crashing on top of Drapion. The Ogre Scorpion Pokémon had its lights turned off. Celosia gasped.

"Return!" she cried before Drapion was drawn back to the Pokéball. "Like Bryony said, we'll be back for Z1. Mark our words!" Celosia and Bryony ran out after their Pokémon were collected. Clemont's reached Ash and Carrie's side as Hawlucha and Sableye bumped fists.

("Glad to work with you, amigo,") Hawlucha beaked with a smile.

("You're a tough Pokémon,") Sableye praised. Carrie sighed in relief, knowing the ordeal ended. Ash believed it was only the beginning.

"So who were those two?" he asked. "And what does it have to do with Squishy?"

"I'm not sure," Clemont muttered. "But knowing that Squishy's the Pokémon they're after…" Ash nodded, sensing Squishy's need of protection.

"Can I stay with you guys for a couple more days?" asked Carrie. The change of subject didn't bother Ash.

"I don't see why not," allowed Clemont. "Any reason?" Ash had a feeling as to Olympia's delivery of Carrie.

"Maybe Olympia saw something about Squishy," he guessed.

"Not Lady Olympia," Carrie corrected as she kissed Ash on the cheek. "It's you I wanna study more on." Ash's face became red in embarrassment. They returned to find Bonnie and Serena having returned themselves.

"There you are!" the performer gasped. Seeing Squishy in Clemont's arms, Bonnie ran to claim what the two called Z1.

"Did they take you away, Squishy?" she questioned. Squishy's head shook no.

"Squishy ran away and we didn't want to lose it on you," Carrie claimed.

"I see," Serena realized. "Anyway, we had a bit of a discussion and everything will be alright… I hope." If Serena saw what Carrie did, she's lose her mind. Maybe what Olympia saw was a test of love for Ash. At least Ash won't be… Carried away.

* * *

END of DARK  
Next up: POISON

(Last time the polls are reset. The final votes start now.)


	10. Doctored Love

_Type: Poison  
Shipping: FirstPokéDoctorShipping_

* * *

 _One-Shot 10: Doctored Love_

* * *

A Pokéball emerged from the Transport Machine. "Alright, Bulbasaur should be back with you," Oak promised. Ash picked up the ball and opened it, his Seed Pokémon emerging.

"Hey, Bulbasaur!" he greeted. "You excited about who we're seeing?"

("It's been sometime,") Bulbasaur awed. Ash recalled Bulbasaur and regrouped with May, Max and Brock.

"You got Bulbasaur back?" asked the breeder.

"Right here!" responded Ash with Bulbasaur's Pokéball. The siblings weren't sure about the reason for Bulbasaur.

"So what's the ordeal that you need Bulbasaur?" asked May. Ash and Brock nodded to each other about Bulbasaur's background.

"We're actually close to where Ash caught Bulbasaur," Brock briefed. "Ash wanted to bring Bulbasaur for a little reunion."

"Not to mention Bulbasaur knows the area which is covered in traps," Ash added. "The traps on the way make Team Rocket's amateurish." The siblings awed the occurrence.

"I bet Bulbasaur would like to see some of his old friends," Max giggled. Leading, Bulbasaur guided the trainers and little brother toward the path. May stepped on a trap hole, but Bulbasaur used Vine Whip to keep her from falling in. The group reached a bridge and Pikachu became nervous.

"One at a time crossing this bridge," Ash warned. The rickety bridge held up for Ash and the Pokémon. Brock crossed next, then Max and May.

"Ash, what was the point?" she complained.

"Easy. When Brock, Misty and I tried to cross before, it collapsed. Brock fell into the river and I had to carry Misty across."

"And knowing who we're reuniting with, she's still setting traps to keep the Pokémon she's treating safe," Brock added. May gulped to a conclusion.

"You mean you had a girlfriend this entire time!?" she guessed.

"I'd wish…" Brock mulled. May and Max laughed to Brock's fluster. They soon reached a cabin and spotted a blue-haired girl.

"Melanie!" shouted Ash. Melanie looked to see a few familiar friends.

"Ash!" she called out. "Brock! Bulbasaur!" The Seed Pokémon dashed over to see Melanie who embraced him. "Bulbasaur… you've become incredibly strong!"

("You think so?") joked Bulbasaur. Melanie laughed before seeing the trainers.

"You're still on that quest to be Pokémon Master, huh?" she teased Ash.

"I haven't stopped yet," Ash sneered. As they were about to meet up with Melanie, a Gloom seemed happy to see the group.

("I recognize you!") it cheered. Brock and the siblings spotted the Gloom.

"Hey, a Gloom that's not so gloomy!" teased Max. Bulbasaur and Pikachu met up with Gloom where the Weed Pokémon eyed the Mouse.

("You lost a bit of weight, Pikachu!") noticed Gloom. At that moment, Ash had a realization.

"You're the same Oddish Misty tried to catch, huh?" he guessed.

("I am!") Hearing Gloom's confirmation, Max had a double-take.

"Why would Misty want an Oddish?" he questioned. "She's a Water Pokémon Trainer and Oddish is a Grass/Poison Pokémon."

"She saw Oddish drinking from a pond and she made that false assumption," Brock corrected. May and Max's faces drooped.

"If you can teach a Grass Pokémon how to use Water attacks, I could see that working out," May muttered. Melanie looked to Ash and came to tell the warnings.

"I should tell you that I don't allow the Pokémon I'm treating be caught," she warned. "Bulbasaur wanted to go with Ash so I allowed it this one time." A pair of Rattata darted across Melanie which spooked her and she became unbalanced. She didn't want to trample those Mice Pokémon. Ash caught her with a short dash and reach.

"Gotcha!" he grunted. However they two fell with Melanie on top of Ash. May and Max were concerned.

"Ash, you okay?" she wondered. Quickly, Melanie popped up, covering her mouth.

"I'm so sorry!" she snapped. "I-I didn't mean to- I-I don't love- I-I mean…" Before Ash could get up, Melanie sprinted away. "I'M SORRY!" She reentered her cabin, looking more flustered than Ash looking befuddled.

"What just happened?" he asked. Inside, Melanie kept her mouth shut, her hands adding to her unnecessary shield.

' _That was my first kiss!'_ she gasped in her mind. _'I had liked Ash but I didn't mean for that forced smooch. But why? What made me yell at him? He's done such a great job in raising Bulbasaur, I'd rather love him like with the Pokémon.'_ Brock and Max knocked on the cabin door, concern for Melanie mounting.

"Melanie?" the breeder called. "Is everything okay?" Melanie wasn't in need of Brock's help.

"Leave me alone!" she yelled. The yell startled the two at the door.

"Melanie, it was an accident," Max tried to talk. "It happens…"

"Go away!" she yelled again. Brock and Max decided to let her be.

"She'll come out when she feels better," the younger suggested.

"Good point…" Brock sighed. After a few minutes, Ash and the Pokémon were by the pond. They viewed a Staryu, Goldeen, Poliwag and a Magikarp.

"You guys doing alright?" he asked. The Water Pokémon bubbled in glee. "I can tell… and I can tell Melanie's taken good care of you, though I hoped some of you would evolve." The Water Pokémon laughed while Gloom cooed to Bulbasaur. From Melanie's view, Ash's head turn to the Grass Pokémon wasn't good.

' _Oh no… how much of his heart did I break? He must be crying his eyes out because of me!'_ Ash got up and watched something. That something was Bulbasaur and Gloom sharing some food together.

"Seems when Bulbasaur's around, any Gloom isn't so gloomy," he joked. Gloom laughed as Bulbasaur looked a little Mareep-ish. May, Max and Brock were feeding other Pokémon away. To Melanie, she had to apologize to Ash. She exited her cabin and gingerly approached Ash who turned around. "Melanie? Did you calm down at all?" Melanie's head shook.

"I'm sorry for the kiss I gave you," she apologized. "I tried to avoid stepping on the Rattata that ran beneath me." Ash blinked in confusion. He wasn't sure about her apology.

"It was an accident. As long as you're okay, that's all that matter-"

"It's not!" Her snap made Ash step back in shock. "I wanted to say something to you about how well you raised Bulbasaur. I guess when those Rattata sneaked beneath me, I lost all focus. I still wanna take care of the Pokémon that get hurt or sick but I want to move on and travel, maybe with you and Brock." Ash smiled to the idea.

"We'd like that. I wouldn't mind more company… but what about Gloom, the Rattata, Staryu… all the Pokémon you've nursed?" Melanie knew the question would arise.

"It's true… I don't wanna forget any of the Pokémon that came to me… but I don't wanna leave them in the wild to chance! I've raised them since they've needed treatment… and I don't wanna use Pokémon for battling like you do. You're great at that!" Ash giggled to the compliment.

"I wouldn't force anyone who doesn't wanna battle. It's unethical if I did." Melanie giggled to the retort.

"You're so modest… but thank you. It would mean the world if I know the Pokémon here will find peace while I'm with you." Ash awed the comforting words. "Maybe giving you Bulbasaur was a real blessing in disguise." Ash didn't mind the praise.

"I should be thanking you for Bulbasaur. After all, how else would I've gone as far as I did in the Indigo and Silver Conference?"

"That's true…" That's when Gloom shrilled something. Ash, Melanie and Pikachu raced after the voice. They saw Gloom and Bulbasaur looking up at a swarm of Butterfree and Beautifly flying above the branches and scattering their scales from their wings.

"Check it out… "

"The Butterfree and Beautifly! They're gorgeous to watch!" The sight left Ash, Melanie and the Pokémon in awe. "Suddenly, I feel better about the ordeal." Ash looked to Melanie, believing her words.

"Maybe Gloom could be your partner in helping any Pokémon in need outside of a Nurse Joy." That made Melanie happy to believe Ash.

"And I can give you a proper one instead of an accidental. For taking care of Bulbasaur…" She gave Ash a kiss to the lips as May and Max watched.

"Ash, way to go…" he teased. May groaned to the newfound love from Melanie to Ash.

"This shouldn't be the way to find love!" she mulled. "But at least we shouldn't let Brock see, knowing how much he goes after women."

"And how many times I run interference." Melanie's new love healed the brief wound that may have hurt Ash. Instead, Ash had the right medicine for this young girl who no longer had a Gloomy future…

* * *

END of POISON  
Next up: FLYING

(This is the last call. Make your final votes count. Also, be ready for a new poll based on Ash's classmates who've appeared.)


	11. Canyon You Fly Like This?

_Type: Flying  
Shipping: FightFlightShipping_

* * *

 _One-Shot 11: Canyon You Fly Like This?_

* * *

Ash, Serena, Bonnie and the Pokémon were feeding themselves during lunchtime. They stopped by a lightly wooded area. "I want seconds!" cheered Bonnie.

("I want more, too!") squeaked Dedenne. As Serena gave more food to Bonnie and Dedenne, a Talonflame flew in. It feasted on some Pokémon food after Fennekin cleared from her bowl. Everyone became astonished to who arrived.

"A Talonflame?" gulped Ash. Fletchinder squawked to Talonflame who squawked back. It gave Serena a thought.

"That Talonflame…" she pondered. That's when they got an answer before a question could be asked.

"Hey, everyone!" shouted someone from above. Everyone looked up and saw Moira fly in in her wingsuit. She made a two-point landing in front of the kids. "I see that Talonflame's a bit hungry after all the flying." Seeing a friend, the kids were willing to greet her.

"Hey, Moira!" welcomed Serena. "More Sky Battle training?"

"You know it, Serena. By the way, what happened to you? Last I saw, you had such long hair!" Serena had a bashful look.

"I lost the Coumarie Contest and I had to start anew. It took Bonnie a bit to get attached to it." To Moira, she understood the ordeal.

"A new start… I understand." She also noticed one member missing. "By the way, where's the tinkering man?" Ash opted to answer for the group.

"Clement's getting ready for our gym battle in Lumiose City," he explained. Moira awed the idea.

"I see…" she hushed. Bonnie wanted to change the subject.

"So what are you doing with Talonflame?" she asked. Moira giggled before answering.

"Well, there's a canyon I took Talonflame to many times, ever since he was a Fletchling." Talonflame cawed in agreement. "We've gotten better with each time we needed a refresher, including after Ash and Fletchinder beat my Talonflame." Ash chuckled to the surprising victory.

"We all need a refresher at some point," Serena pointed out. "So where's this canyon?" Pointing from where she came, Moira showed the path.

"It's back that way," she said. Following her, Ash and the girls headed to a new canyon where the rock formations were random: pillars, holes, cones…

"Whoa!" gawked Serena. "And I thought Kalos Canyon was a sight to behold." A gust of wind blew across, forcing Serena to hold down her skirt and Ash to hold his lid tight.

"The crosswinds and constant shifts make this canyon a delight for Sky Battle Trainers," Moira explained. "You can imagine the hang time and speed from flying in a place like this." Ash removed his cap and felt the wind brush his hair.

"This feels awesome…" he awed. "The thrill is out there… and I'm willing to try it out!" Serena and Bonnie gawked to Ash's sudden will to challenge the canyon.

"Are you out of your mind!?" snapped Serena. "You've only had a day to try Sky Battles!" A sigh from Ash held a history he wanted to share.

"Serena, I've tried many things like skateboarding, sledding, surfing… and besides, flying is still fun. If I wanna be the best, I gotta conquer everything in front of me." Serena sighed but Bonnie saw the fire within Ash's eyes.

"Yay, go do it, Ash!" she cheered. Ash had a pair of Pokéballs, willing to bring out his Pokémon again.

"Thanks, Bonnie!" Feeding off the little blond's confidence, Ash excused himself to change into his wingsuit. He had one more item in mind. "If I'm gonna fly, I might wanna bring out my own Flying-Type Pokémon. Fletchinder, Hawlucha, I choose you!" Throwing his Pokéballs up, they opened to release his Ember and Wrestling Pokémon. The two Pokémon gazed to the canyon and felt the winds through their feathers. "Ready to tackle this, you two?" Fletchinder let out a proud caw as Hawlucha gazed with blazing eyes.

("This feels great, amigo,") Hawlucha beaked. Moira chuckled to the sight.

"Hawlucha's feeling the desire," she sneered. "I'll lead. Don't get lost!" She made a running jump with her arms out to her sides. With a gust of wind, Moira took flight with Talonflame following.

"You're not seriously going to do this," Serena pleaded.

"My Pokémon and I will be fine," Ash assured. With his arms spread, he, Fletchinder and Hawlucha ran and leaped to take flight with the crosswinds blowing them upward. Pikachu watched with the girls as Ash and his Flying-Type Pokémon pursued Moira and Talonflame. They flew over the many rock formations as they caught up to the leading pair.

"Ash, Fletchinder, Hawlucha!" she named out. "So glad you could join us!"

"Like heck we'd back down!" Caws from Fletchinder and Hawlucha confirmed to the Scorching Pokémon to continue pursuit. As the group flew high, Moira glided toward Ash.

"Let me show you some moves!" She flew away from Ash and to a formation that was like a doughnut. She pulled her arms in to dive bomb at the hole in the formation.

"Moira!" Instead of hearing Ash, Moira continued and dove through the hole before bringing her wings back up. She was a foot off the ground when the crosswinds caught her and lifted her but not before tunneling an arch. Rising back up, Ash breathed a sigh of relief before meeting back with Moira.

"Years of practice can make you do some daring moves!" Fascinated, Hawlucha spun down in a spiral before pulling up through narrow uprights. Fletchinder didn't want to go outdone as he flew through a row of pillars in and out with quick agility. Ash studied his Pokémon and wondered if he could do similar feats.

' _My Pokémon are smaller so someone as big as me won't have that much control. Also, the lack of proper training might land me in the rocks. Well, I can't accomplish anything without trying it.'_ Giving in, Ash did the same act as Moira by folding his wings up and descending. Moira gasped to Ash's sudden and reckless start.

"Ash, don't do anything stupid!" His eyes on a hook-like formation, Ash aimed for the same swoop like Moira and the Pokémon before. He eyed the target. Talonflame cawed to Ash, believing he wasn't going to succeed. That's when Ash pulled out, spreading his wings and taking flight.

' _That wasn't a good angle. Glad Talonflame called me before I hit.'_ Flying back, Moira sighed in relief.

"I didn't think you were really ready." Out of nowhere, a blast of wind pushed Moira upward and Ash sideways into a spin. He was out of control. "Oh no… Ash!" Moira flew down toward Ash who tried to straighten out, but couldn't before she and the Pokémon arrived. They flew to the ground and landed safely before entering a cavern. Inside, Ash and Moira had a moment to calm down.

"What just happened?" Checking the wingsuit, Moira found what happened.

"Good thing I carry some thread and needle for when freak accidents happen." Fletchinder and Talonflame clamped their beaks to hold the damaged fabric together. Moira sewn the wing back together. "Good as new!" Ash flapped his arm a couple of times.

"So that's what it was…" Moira had more.

"And it's a good thing we're away from Serena. She'd be throwing a fit considering how close you two are." This left Ash a bit puzzled.

"What does Serena have to-" Before Ash could finish, Moira kissed Ash on the lips. The Flying-Type Pokémon gasped in surprise.

("Did not see that coming,") Hawlucha beaked. Moira finished her rather long kiss.

"That was for saving me and Talonflame from Team Rocket," she remembered. Ash blushed greatly to the kiss.

"Thanks, I guess…" As Ash peered out, he spotted Team Rocket's Meowth balloon. Knowing their target, they had to act fast.

"Not again… We gotta do something." Ash eyed the two later evolution stages of Fletchling.

"Hey, Talonflame… wanna do a combination?" Talonflame gawked to what Ash meant. In the balloon, Jessie, James and Meowth flew through the sky in search for Pikachu.

"Without their tinkering twerp, getting Pikachu should be a piece of cake!" sneered Jessie.

"Just because dat tinkering twerp's not dere, dat Pikachu twerp isn't sleeping on da job." Meowth warned.

"And you know he's got a few tricks up his sleeve, no thanks to us," James moaned.

"Please, like he's a sneaky little twerp," Jessie dismissed. "What's he gonna do, fly into our basket for a pinpoint attack?" As if cued, Ash flew onto the rim of the basket.

"Now how would you have known that, Jessie?" he sneered. Turning, Team Rocket viewed Ash in his wingsuit and snickering.

"TWERP!" they shouted together.

"I guess now I unleash the sneak attack," he joked. "Use Flame Charge, Fletchinder! And Talonflame, you use Flamethrower on Fletchinder!" Ash leaped down from the basket as a blazing beam blasted the balloon to a crisp. It looked like Talonflame shot Fletchinder with his Flamethrower, the latter ablaze and easily ripping through the balloon. Embers fell into the burner as Ash flew clear of the explosion that launched Team Rocket from the canyon.

"We're blasting off again!" they cried. Ash returned to Moira, Talonflame and Fletchinder.

"That was perfect!" she cheered. "Always nice to beat them to the punch!"

"Totally," Ash agreed. Hawlucha bumped fist and wing with Fletchinder and Talonflame. "Let's head back. I bet Serena and Bonnie saw that."

"You got it." The flying quintet flew through the canyon on their way back to the two girls. Moira would leave Ash with Serena, knowing he'll be in good hands. However, she'll remember that moment she and Ash were on Cloud 9.

* * *

END of FLYING  
Last up: STEEL

(Thanks to everyone who voted. The 12 Elements of AshMas couldn't be done without your help. This last chapter will finish up 2018 for me.)


	12. Status Update

Type: Steel  
Shipping: AlolaNewsShipping

* * *

One-Shot 12/Final: Status Update

* * *

Ash, Pikachu and Rotom had exited a grocery store with a few bags in Ash's and Rotom's arms. They strolled through Hau'oli City on an errand. "I believe the Akkala Coffee Beans were the last on the list," Ash assumed.

"Almost," Rotom corrected. "If I'm searching the list of groceries we need, we still have to get a few loaves of bread rolls." Ash irked to the oversight.

"It's either one thing or another, Rotom."

"This time, I can't blame you. Professor Kukui did give us a long list. At least we're nearby the bakery to pick up those loaves." As they stood by the door, Pikachu noticed a news van parked just next door.

("Is that the Alolan News?") he squeaked. Hearing Pikachu, Ash and Rotom turned to the news van as well.

"Must be a big event coming up," Ash guessed. Rotom had a doubt about it.

"I haven't heard of anything related to 'a big event'," he relayed. Ash would simply ignore the news van, but the announcer from the Charjabug Race saw him and rushed over to his side.

"There you are!" she cheered. Ash and Pikachu seemed surprised to see her coming towards them. "I'm glad to see you're doing alright!" It took awhile before Ash realized who the young woman was.

"Hey, you covered the Pokémon Pancake Race and the Charjabug Race!" he recognized.

"That's right! I'm Anna. I also cover the news." Ash welcomed the name and wanted to introduce himself.

"I'm Ash from Pallet Town in the Kanto Region. I was the Support Runner for the Sophocles Lab Team with Kiawe and Sophocles."

"I remember… You took that header from the Charjabug of the Electric Princess Team. I actually wanted to see you about that. Looks like you're doing alright given the circumstances." Ash huffed a giggle to the concern.

"That's Ash for you," Rotom buzzed. "He never stays down, despite the amount of pain he'll be in." Anna giggled as she felt relief to the news.

"That's good to hear," she said. "Anyway, I have a couple of things with you I wanted to do. So, wanna have an interview done?" Ash blinked to the request.

"An… interview?"

"Here's the deal: I wanna start interviewing important people of Alola so that I raise awareness to those who may find interesting… like you for instance." The reasoning gave Ash an idea on her process.

"Okay, I'm game for it." The Pokémon sighed to the acceptance.

"Figures he'd say that," Rotom groaned. Pikachu saw something across the street and offered a suggestion.

("How about in there!") he squeaked to the pancake house. On a window was a stack of pancakes with green frosting and sprinkles. The design in the frosting was a wreath.

TRY OUR NEW HOLICAKE STACKS!

Ash and Anna giggled to the thought. Inside, Nina and Raichu delivered the Holicakes that were on the poster. "Here we go," she offered. "Three stacks of Holicakes!" Ash and Pikachu looked excited to try the stacks.

("Eat them while they're hot!") squeaked Raichu.

"Thanks!" praised Ash and Anna. They looked at the Holicakes.

"I smell maple and peppermint in here…" Ash grinned. He and Pikachu cut a piece of the stack off and took a bite. They savored the minty syrup and gushed wildly. "So SWWEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTT!" Anna laughed to their reaction as Nina and her Alolan Mouse Pokémon attended more customers. This gave Anna a chance to do her interview.

"Alright, Ash," she called as she brought out a recording device. She placed it in the middle of the table. "Can we start?" The nod from Ash gave Anna the go-ahead to start. "Now, you originated from Pallet Town in the Kanto Region."

"That's right," he answered.

"And I bet this isn't your only other region, otherwise the bond between you and Pikachu wouldn't be as strong as it is now." Ash and Pikachu nervously chuckled to the belief.

"Good point. I've been to Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh…" The region names told Anna about his past travels.

"My goodness! A global traveler… I could only imagine what it's like. Anyway, how has Alola been for you?"

"Great. Pikachu, Rowlet, Litten and Lycanroc have helped me pass two Grand Trials from Melemele and Akkala."

"Really!? Then you have the Grand Trials on Ula'Ula and Poni to look forward to!"

"And meeting more of the island guardians like Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele." Anna awed who Ash met.

"Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele? That's awesome!" Everyone enjoyed the Holicakes and soon stepped out. "That hit the spot!"

"Tell me about it."

("Same here!") squealed Pikachu.

"That was an easy interview to Tackle attack!" buzzed Rotom. "Great… Professor Kukui's starting to rub off on me." Anna giggled before she had another offer.

"I bet you haven't seen Melemele Island from high up," she pondered. Ash blinked to the point.

"No…" he thought.

"Then, I'll give you a chance to see it from above!" she offered as she threw her Pokéball. "Magnezone, come on out!" The Pokéball opened to show Magnezone, the Magnet Area Pokémon. There was the platform Anna rode on to view the scene and she boarded first. Rotom gave Pikachu a lift while Anna hoisted Ash onto the platform. "Okay, Magnezone… skyward!" Magnezone flew to the air with Ash and Anna holding on to the railing. After a minute or two, Magnezone was hundreds of feet in the air, just below the clouds. Looking down, Ash and Pikachu viewed the island from atop.

"WOW!" he yelped. "Melemele Island… it's bigger than we thought!"

("So much to chase!") awed Pikachu. Anna seemed to admire Ash and Pikachu's joy.

"You like?" she asked. Suddenly, something came out of the cloud above. A shadow casting behind those made the group turn around. The Meowth Balloon gave the answer away.

"Team Rocket!?" he gawked. "Is no place safe?"

"If asked is no place is safe, we'll give the answer out!" proclaimed Jessie.

"Noble answers are what we're all about!" added James.

"The beauty's so radiant, the flowers and moon hide in shame… A lonesome flower of evil blooms in the fleeting world, becoming Jessie!"

"A hero from the justice and heart of evil appears before thee, becoming James!"

"A black star becomes bright, da deeds of villainy reveals, becoming Meowth as he takes flight!" mewed Meowth.

"Team Rocket, time to fight~!" announced Jessie and James.

"Dat's right!" cheered Meowth.

("Of course!") squawked Wobbufett as he popped out. Ash and Pikachu had to act as Team Rocket emerged.

"You came back from Pallet Town?" gawked Ash. "Does Bewear go wherever you go?"

"That's none of your twerpy business!" scolded Jessie. "Now, we're getting Pikachu!" She brought out a bazooka before pulling the trigger. A missile was shot before it broke to reveal a metal claw. It looked like Pikachu would be snagged.

"Now, Magnezone!" ordered Anna. Magnezone lifted the magnet arms which began to pull the claw from Pikachu. It caught the Magnet Area Pokémon but did nothing to flinch it.

"Nice catch, Magnezone!" cheered Ash. Jessie seemed distraught as Rotom knew the ordeal.

"Of course, Magnezone's Special Ability: Magnet Pull!" he calculated. Jessie pulled to retract the claw, but it wasn't budging an inch.

"Hey, stop being so attached to it!" she complained. Anna had the perfect move to rid Team Rocket.

"Now, Magnezone!" she repeated. "Use Magnet Bomb!" Magnezone powered up before releasing powerful blue orbs which killed the burner and fabric. Claw destroyed, balloon destroyed and Team Rocket began to fall. Ash watched and grinned.

"Team Rocket's making landfall!" he taunted.

"NOT FUNNY!" they shouted. Before they could hit the ground, Bewear emerged and caught the trio before they made impressions… or depressions to the streets.

"Maybe you should help us out instead of bringing us back home!" complained Jessie. Ignoring her, the Strong Arm Pokémon sauntered away with Team Rocket in its paws.

"We're off with a new blast…" they whined. Watching from above, Anna seemed astounded to finding a Bewear with them.

"Does that Bewear belong to them?" she questioned.

"We're… not sure at this point," Rotom shrugged. Magnezone brought the group down to relax and continued their shopping. They got PokéBeans for the Pokémon back at Kukui's home and other groceries. Anna drove Ash and the Pokémon back with the news van. All stepped or flew out to where Kukui spotted them.

"Hey, I didn't expect the news to stop by!" he awed. "Are you doing interviews now?"

"I had a warm-up with Ash," she explained. "I'll need to review my questioning before I do another one at Aether Paradise." Kukui nodded to the notion.

"I understand," he accepted. "Let me Stockpile Ash's run and start on dinner." He took some of the groceries inside, giving Anna a chance.

"I heard that Professor Kukui's working on developing a Pokémon League Conference," she told Ash.

"Really?" he gasped. "Do you know where?"

"If I recall, it's said to be on Ula'Ula Island." The name of the island made Ash wonder.

"That's the next island I wanted to try." Anna sensed the determination billowing from the trainer.

"You may see something there. In any case, I'll be covering it with the news." The announcement gave Ash a hint of who to expect.

"Gotcha…" Without warning, Anna came forward.

"And I know you'll be there as well." She leaned in and gave Ash a kiss as Kukui came out again, this time with Ash's other Pokémon watching as she hugged his lips with hers. They gasped as she held the kiss while popping her foot up, toes above her knees.

"A Sweet Kiss?" he muttered. Rotom became excited to the kiss and began taking many pictures.

"This is incredible!" he shrieked while flying around the two. "The Alolan reporter is in love with Ash!? This is big news! Headline worthy!" Ash remained stunned after Anna released her lips.

"I'll see you later, my new favorite story," she teased as she boarded the news van and drove off. "Maybe another interview at dinner…" Kukui grinned before walking to Ash.

"I gotta say, you look like a Thunder Wave has you stiffed," he joked. "Did she use Lick?" Pikachu thought it may have been the syrup from the pancake house.

("Peppermint Syrup's long lasting,") he chuckled. The next day, Ash arrived at the Pokémon School, meeting with his classmates.

"Alola, Ash!" greeted Mallow.

("How are you doing?") asked Steenee.

"Alola, Mallow," Ash returned the greeting. "I'm doing alright… Though I heard Professor Kukui's got a little bit of a conference with Island Kahuna Hala." To Lillie, the reason seemed to have the possible Pokémon Conference in question.

"He was discussing about it just after your battle with Misty," she pointed out. "I just wonder if it'll be held on Mount Lanakila." To Snowy, it was her home.

"That's right," Kiawe noted. "Didn't Rotom say that Snowy's origins were from that mountain on Ula'Ula Island?" Rotom recalled that moment.

"I'm glad someone other than me has it filed in their database," he nagged. Mallow snagged Rotom and held him by the spike on the head.

"We each have a database, Rotom," she mulled. "It's called a brain!" While Mallow dealt with the Plasma Pokémon, a new question arose.

"So, if Professor Kukui's not teaching today," Sophocles wondered. "Does that mean Principal Oak will? Maybe Professor Oak is stopping by?" The answer came but it would be a surprise for everyone.

"Guess again, Sophocles!" she called out with a snicker. All turned to find Anna at the front desk. All gasped to who it was.

"It's the play-by-play woman!" gawked Kiawe. Sophocles smiled to the sight.

"That's not a bad Substitute the professor pulled off," he joked.

"I'd say more of a Baton Pass," Mallow laughed. Anna offered to introduce herself.

"I'm Anna and today, I'll be your substitute teacher," she named herself. That's when she winked to Ash. "So, ready to learn from me?" Ash's face became red with embarrassment. The Pokémon gawked to the sight, not sure what happened. The class saw Ash's face, confused to the reaction.

"Ash, your face is red," Lana pointed out.

"Did something happen between you and Anna?" asked Lillie. Rotom flew in for some sharing.

"I believe this is where I have a little Show and Tell for the class," he acknowledged as he showed the interactions between Ash and Anna.

"WHAT!" they shrieked. Ash felt the world reading his story of him and Anna becoming Headline News.

* * *

END of STEEL, END of VIII

(It took eight volumes to have over 100 girls after Ash. I'm sure your favorite's in one of the eight that I've done. If not, let me know. Anyway, that will do it for 2018. In 2019, there's gonna be new stories after Domino's Trainer and Pokéotic which I'll continue on the first. As for now, I wish everyone a [little belated] Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.)


End file.
